


Smoking Love

by Actually_An_Insane_Fangirl



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alcohol, Drama & Romance, Drinking, F/M, Fanfiction, Female Protagonist, Female pronouns, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff without Plot, Gang Violence, Humor, Manga & Anime, Mild Language, Mystery, Panic Attacks, Psychological Trauma, Romantic Fluff, Sarcasm, Smoking, Suspense, Threats of Violence, Trauma, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 23:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7989397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actually_An_Insane_Fangirl/pseuds/Actually_An_Insane_Fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” This is the story of how you and the Red King Mikoto Suoh fall in love despite all odds. Your life has never been normal. You lost your family at a young age, bullied because of the burn scars on your hands, and got bounced between foster homes until fourteen years old, when a kind family adopted you. Flash to seven years later, and you're living in the infamous Shizume City on your own. Your life there for the past three years has been uneventful for the most part, until one miserable rainy day and the heroic efforts of a certain Clan, forever intertwining your fates.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Savior

    The smell of smoke was one all too familiar to you... and it seemed to follow you around wherever you went, in your sleep and in your waking hours.

    It was there when you came home from a sleepover, only to be greeted by the sounds of sirens and the reeking stench of scorched wood instead of the usual scent of fresh-cut grass and the ringing of laughter.

    It was there when you escaped the grasp of your friend's mother, ignoring her pleas to come back to her. You rushed over to your blazing home, trying to force open the front door. Your hands were instantly scorched, the skin on your palms procuring second degree burns as you screamed in pain, the remnant scars serving as reminders that there wasn't anything you could've done to save your family.

    Its ever putrid presence emanated from your father's and your little sister's ashes as you had scattered them on the ground where your childhood home once stood a few weeks before. 

    It perforated your nose every time you stepped into your abusive foster parents' house; you couldn't take a breath without coughing up a storm. It would be a surprise if you didn't get secondhand smoking from your time there.

    The smell of smoke had never brought you anything other than sleepless nights and unpleasant memories. It was death and misery, destruction and loneliness. Until that fateful day in the middle of July, the height of summer, when you met _him_ , a stoic redhead with violent tendencies and a bad smoking habit, and that scent you hated so much began to represent not only the bad things in life, but also the good...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Ughh, why does the world hate meeee?! Why?!" you asked yourself for the second time that day, banging your head against your bike's handlebars one last time before jerking off of it with a scowl. You pulled down your size too small shorts for what seemed the millionth time that day, then started your two-mile walk through gang infested territory with a bike that had _both_ tires popped. Your day had had such great promise this morning.

    You had been woken up by the sound of your favorite song blasting through your phone and not a nightmare. You had checked your phone and found out that the book you'd been waiting forever to read was finally available at the library. Your air conditioner had even started working, which was the biggest blessing of them all. One more night of kicking off sheets and sweating like a pig, and you were about ready to give the manager of your building the loudest screaming fest ever, even worse than that time where all you could take was cold showers in the winter and you about almost burst his eardrums shouting at him to fix it already.

    That was where the good part of your day ended. For lo and behold, in the excitement of last night's movie marathon, you had forgotten to take your laundry out of the washer. Now all your nice, fitting clothes were still sopping wet, which left you searching through every stupid little hiding spot in your apartment until you found a clean pair. The ones you happened to find, however, were from three years ago and you had since grown into yourself more. So getting the shorts on took you about a solid ten minutes and quite a few groans accompanied by a couple of colorful curse words mumbled under your breath. The shirt barely fit over your hips with your chest almost popping out of it, leaving you feeling a tad bit exposed. At least you wouldn't get hot in your current attire. After all, it was the middle of July. How cold could it get?

    You really wished you'd told yourself to shut up because right after you'd went downstairs and gotten your bike from the bike rack outside, it began to pour. Not sprinkle, not a little drizzle that lasts for about five minutes. No, the clouds decided that today would be a nice day to unload every ounce of water stored in the atmosphere down onto you. Okay, maybe not just on you, but you were currently getting drenched and you still had to bike two miles to the library for your job there, in the stinkin' rain, with clothes that were too small. You felt that you had every right to be a bit dramatic. You could have taken the train, however, you were never too fond of being in close, cramped quarters with strangers nor did you like walking to the station, either. This was Shizume City after all, run by various clans and gangs, some headed up by "Kings." You didn't want to walk about on foot with those kinds of crazy people roaming around. So you resigned yourself to begin biking in the cold, wet rain. That was the first time you asked yourself, "Why me?"

    When you finally got to the library, one of your colleagues told you that the book you'd been waiting for, guess what, had accidentally been checked out to someone else by the new volunteer. You had to hold yourself back from screaming out loud and banging your head against something, anything, as long as it was hard and could make you forget about every crappy thing that had happened to you that day. Instead, thankfully, you opted to sigh through your nose, resigning yourself to stand in front of a fan for a few minutes before you had to shelve some books.

    After shivering for a solid three hours with a towel a co-worker had given you wrapped around your shoulders, you managed to dry off and wanted to thank the stars above that you hadn't started sneezing. You refrained from doing so, though, because you didn't want to risk jinxing yourself again. Of course, it didn't matter anyway, because after you closed up shop at ten p.m., you discovered that someone thought it would be just hilarious to stab a hole in your two tires.

    "Well, I hope they're happy, because I know I sure ain't little Ms. Sunshine right now," you grumbled under your breath. You may have been grumpy and out of sorts at the moment, though you were by no means depressed or ungrateful with your lot in life. You knew that your problems were nothing compared to many others around the world and that you should be thankful for the roof over your head, the money in your pocket, and the food in your belly. It's just that you were so hopeful for today.

    You hadn't had a nightmare about the fire the night before, something that was rare and unprecedented. You could barely go a day without thinking about how much you'd been deprived off all those years ago. You had not only lost your father, your sister, and your home, but your mother as well. She wasn't the same after the accident... neither of you were. She shut down, not eating, not sleeping, letting herself waste away. She couldn't even bear to look at you anymore, because all you did was remind her of what she'd lost that day. It was why she, your own mother, gave you up. She left you to grieve alone and suffer among strangers. The day she signed the papers was the last day you ever saw or heard from her.

    From there, you were bounced from family to family for years. You either got terrible, abusive people who didn't care two cents about you or kind, impatient, and sometimes shallow people who didn't want to deal with your scars (both physical and emotional ones). You grew self-conscious of the burns on your hands. They itched, they burned, and they made your palms rough to the touch. You were teased by the ignorant bullies at the school, who thought you'd gotten them from touching a burning stove on accident or clumsily spilling boiling hot water on them. In those days, you tried to make yourself as small as possible, so you never stood up to them, no matter how much you wanted to.

    It was like that until you were taken in by the most wonderful family you'd ever met. Under their tutelage, you blossomed into the confident, smiling young woman, capable of being proud of herself. They taught you how to defend yourself and how to keep up that sense of optimism you'd lost the moment you'd lost your family. Of course, there'd still be days where you cried or where you'd despise yourself or you'd doubt others loyalty, but they were fewer than before. They didn't control your happiness any longer. You could breath freely once again. Just thinking about the fact brought a small smile to your face as you trudged down the street with the bike beside you. Instead of reminiscing about past events, however, you should've been paying attention to your surroundings. If you had, you would've sensed a sinister presence following close behind you.

    You didn't notice until it was too late and you had already walked into a trap.

    "Hey, you look like you could use some help with that bike there, pretty lady," you heard a gruff voice behind you say. This caused you to freeze. You got a sinking feeling that this stranger wasn't interested in helping you, and only wanted to do you harm.

    "That's sweet of you to offer, but I think I'm good for now, thanks," you declined in a polite tone, your back facing him. You didn't want to encourage him into jumping you early before you could retrieve the tiny bottle of pepper spray tucked into your bra.

    "Aww, come on now, don't make a man feel more guilty than he already is. Here." He reached to grab your bike from you and that's when you saw your opening. You jerked the handlebars forward and rammed it into his stomach as hard as you could, dropping the bike before whipping out the spray, discharging the volatile substance right into the man's eyes.

    His yells of pain echoed in the alleyway you'd chosen to take a shortcut to your apartment, a not so bright idea considering you were now running for your life in shorts that kept riding up your thighs. You almost succeeded in escaping until _bam_! Two men who looked like they never left the gym suddenly appeared in your path and blocked the exit. You tried to stop your momentum, yet it was no use. Your body crashed into them anyway, then found yourself being dragged back to the man from earlier. You tried your hardest to struggle, but it wasn't any use. They had muscles thicker than your neck and seemed unaffected by anything you did. You couldn't get them with your pepper spray since you, being stupid, had dropped the can when you'd banged straight into them. In other words, you were screwed, big time.

    "Hey Rino, what should we do with her now?" one of the men holding you asked the man who you sprayed in the face mere seconds ago.

    He was fiercely rubbing his eyes with closed fists when he snarled, "Teach that little bitch a lesson. No one messes with Rino."

    You'd scarcely processed what the gangster said before being slammed into the trash bin behind you and pinned against it. You let out a shriek of pain once more, trying to struggle in vain as one of the massive giants got ready to punch your lights out. Your heart was beating in your throat, causing your breath to quicken. You tightened your body up, bracing for more injury... yet it never came. Just before his fist could crash into your face, a calm, monotone voice interrupted, "You're in my way."

    Your captors all turned their heads toward the new voice, to find that there was not just one newcomer, but at least six newcomers, and boy, they did _not_ look pleased at all. However, one stood out from the rest, probably the one who'd spoken. He was tall and lean, with striking red hair and an air of power radiating from him. You could tell he was the leader of the group. For some reason, you got a vague sense of familiarity about the man, but you couldn't quite place it. You had an itching feeling that this wouldn't be the last time you'd see the telling redhead. Behind him, you could make out the faces of three others: a tall blond man with red sunglasses and a black blazer, a teenager with chestnut hair holding a baseball bat in his hands, and a heavier set blond man with a beard and saggy clothes. You couldn't make out any of the others.

    "Yeah, you heard the Boss! Let the girl go and get your damn asses out of HOMRA's turf or we'll make you pay!" the teen shouted at your captors, gripping his bat tighter, eyes seeming to glow with fiery red.

    HOMRA, eyes glowing red? It was then that realization came crashing down on you, why the leader seemed so familiar to you, why he had such an intimidating demeanor. You were in the presence of the Red King, the Third King and leader of the clan HOMRA, and some of his most powerful Clansmen. You'd never seen them before in person, but you'd heard from others that they were people you didn't want to mess around with. They must've been on patrol around the city, just happening upon you about to get beaten to a pulp.

    The leader of the men who'd assaulted you scowled defiantly, "Why should we listen to a bunch of punk ass phonies who don't know the first thing about fighting?" Damn, this man must've been stupider than you originally thought, or he just had a major death wish.

    The scary guy with the baseball bat and skateboard, who you assumed was Misaki Yata, the so-named vanguard of HOMRA, lit his bat aflame with the trademark Red Aura that all fellow Clansmen had, tightening up his jaw line and growling. The man with the sunglasses, who you guessed might be Suoh's second-in-command, Izumo Kusanagi, flicked out his lighter but didn't open it. The both of them seemed to be waiting for something... or someone.

    The King didn't react like his comrades did, but you saw an angry fire blaze in his eyes for a fraction of a second, there so fast, gone so soon. It had been there, though. You were certain of it. You all waited with bated breath as Mikoto Suoh dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out a cigarette from one of them, sticking it in his mouth as he closed his eyes for a second. Then his nimble fingers shone with the Red Aura and the King lit the cancer stick, taking a good, long puff of it.

    "I'm getting tired of waiting, you asshole!" your original attacker screeched as Suoh did so, "We'll beat your asses and then I'll have my way with the little whore over there." Yep, the idiot had completely lost his mind. He must've really wanted to die.

    That last statement seemed to be the final straw, for the Red King flashed open his amber eyes once more and that fire you saw a moment ago was fully ablaze, eradicating any trace of the amber that had been there before. Next thing you knew, you saw a big fireball made of Red Aura coming straight for the lowlifes, who decided to toss you into a brick wall in their haste, slamming your head right against it. Your vision began to blur as you felt blood trickling down your neck, listening to the mangled screams of Rino and a chant of "No blood, no bone, no ash!" before your mind went began drifting away and it was too difficult to concentrate on keeping your eyes looking and your ears listening. The last thing your senses picked up as your mind faded was the lingering smell of cigarette smoke wafting up your nose, and the feeling of warm, strong arms wrapping around your weak frame.


	2. Challenger

    The next thing you remember was waking up to one killer headache and that ever-present stench which seemed to follow you no matter where you went, always accompanied by something dreadful and destructive. But what you opened your eyes up to wasn't anything close to evil or harmful. The first thing you saw was the bright face of a girl, who looked no older than twelve and had a soothing presence around her. You got a similar feeling about her that you did with Mikoto. Your paths most certainly intertwined. Her shining, intelligent red eyes seemed to pierce right into you, giving you the sense that maybe she had the same intuition about you, too. It took everything you had to break your gaze away from them to look around you more.

    It didn't take long for you to realize why you'd noticed the fumes the minute you woke up. You were in a bar, a nice, albeit a little odd-looking one, with a few smokers scattered around the joint, some staring at you, the others minding their own business. One you recognized as Mr. Kusanagi (at least who you thought was the second in command), who gave you a small smile when your (e/c) stare connected with his. Dowsing the cigarette, he moved out from behind the bar counter, coming towards you as you sat up with a groan, rubbing the back of your head to try to relieve some of the ache.

    "Good to see you're finally awake," he said as he finished walking over, "You were passed out there for a while. I was beginning to think you'd take permanent ownership of the couch."

    A smirk graced the bartender's lips at his own wit then offered his hand for you to shake in a friendly gesture. "The name's Izumo Kus-"

    "Kusanagi, I kind of figured," you finished in a rush, a little shame ghosting your expression when you saw him looking at you with clear surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just get a little excited when I guess things right. I usually have more control, but I haven't had the best day today, so I'm a little more bent out of shape than usual." You gave a flicker of a guilty smile, rubbing your neck in an effort to stem your embarrassment. You were making such a great first impression, weren't you?

    Kusanagi didn't look angry or irritated in the least, however. In fact, he looked quite amused. "Heh, don't sweat it. I tend to have that kind of effect on beautiful young women. Make 'em a little nervous."

    Relieved (a little flustered, too), you let yourself relax for a moment, feeling at ease in the man's presence after his reply. You took the Red Clansman's hand in your own and shook it with a firm grip, "The name's Y/N L/N. How long exactly have I been sleeping?"

    Kusanagi began to move his lips to form a reply, yet chose not to when he heard a well-known, commanding voice say instead, "Day and a half. It was... inconvenient."

    You resisted the urge to whip your head around to see the new arrival; you didn't need to look at his face to know who decided to now join in, anyway. You recognised the same annoyed, indifferent tone in the words that told your assaulters to get out of his way. With that in mind, you cranked your neck in a slow motion, catching the sight of the Red King walking down the set of stairs in the bar, apathetic eyes glaring into yours, neither of you willing to back down. A few of the guys noticed the staring contest between you two, instantly shutting up in favor of watching the showdown between the King and the girl they'd rescued on Friday night.

    If it'd been a younger you, you would've dropped out first, but you'd learned to stand your ground. You knew this was some kind of test the Third King was conducting, testing your resolve and pluck, you assumed. The man had called your presence there in the bar "inconvenient," too. No way would you be the first to give in, no matter how uncomfortable it got. Of course, with the kind of luck you'd been having as of late (unreliable), you didn't have too much confidence about your chances of succeeding.

    After engaging in a few more seconds of the stare down, the leader of HOMRA, impressed with your nerve, curled his lips up in a pleased smirk before sitting himself on a bar stool. This action ended the test, breaking the tension between the both of you and setting about the other HOMRA members to resuming their previous activities. You blinked your eyelids in rapid succession while shaking your head, trying to shake off the weird feeling in your gut. It didn't feel like you won. It felt more like an assessment than a challenge of dominance. Besides, who were you kidding? The man was freaking Mikoto Suoh, master of intimidating silence and not losing. He wouldn't allow you to win anything unless he let you succeed on purpose.

    Composing yourself, you resumed your conversation with Kusanagi, who still looked entertained to you, "Then why didn't you guys just take me to a hospital or something? I'm sure it would've been fine."

    The bar owner gave a dismissive shrug. "Our bar was closer. After all, you only got a little bump on your head, along with a tiny scratch on your neck. No need to trouble the hospital with something we could easily fix ourselves."

    You tweaked an eyebrow in response, "The fact that I slept through an entire day didn't give you any second thoughts?" You thought you heard one of the other guys choke on his drink.

    "No. We figured you were still in shock. You seemed pretty tired, too. Plus, who wouldn't want to watch a beauty like you sleep?"

    Your face bloomed red with embarrassment in an instant, causing the bartender to chuckle again. You were gutsy, but you had a shy streak as well.

    "I-I should probably skedaddle on out of here before I make an even more terrible impression of myself. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Kusanagi. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see each other," you rambled out once more, dashing out the bar before he could respond, eager to get away from the odor of smoke and the scrutiny of so many powerful strangers. You didn't see, but the young girl's smile got visibly brighter watching you leave. She knew you'd come back, back to where you belonged.

Brief third person:  
    "How'd we manage to come across her in the first place, Mr. Kusanagi? We usually never patrol that part of town," Kōsuke asked, voicing aloud the question on everyone else's mind.

    "Anna told us someone important was going to get hurt in the area, so the King decided we should check it out."

    "We _will_  be seeing her again then, won't we, Anna?" the ginger questioned, well aware of the girl's ability to see into the beyond.

    The eleven year old only hummed in affirmation, sending a knowing glance at Mikoto.


	3. Soother

    The only sound in your room was the rustle of your body tossing and turning like a dryer on the tumble setting. Although, it was your mind, not your body, causing your current state of restlessness.

    It had been several days since your cringe worthy incident at HOMRA bar, yet your mind was still on overdrive thinking about how much had ensued, all because you had a mild aversion to traveling on crowded trains. You hadn't even asked what happened to your attackers or thanked the Clansmen for their help! Not to mention you'd lost your bike along with your pepper spray in that alleyway! You thought about going back to the place, but not for long. You weren't sure if your stuff would be there anymore or who might be waiting for you once you got back to the alleyway. A shiver traveled the length of your spine thinking about it. You were lucky to survive the attack. If HOMRA hadn't stepped in, you would be either lying in a ditch somewhere near death or in a dark, dingy room chained to a wall.

    The reality of how much your life had been in danger several nights ago finally sunk in. Your hands started to tremble, your heart beating wildly in your chest. Now you'd have one more reason to have further sleepless nights. Tears clung to the edges of your eyelids, threatening to escape, thereby ensuring the first mental breakdown you'd had in years. You thought you'd gotten used to the pain life brought to you on the daily, moved past it but no, it was too much at once this time. You couldn't take both your past and your present pain together.

    This in mind, you curled yourself within your blankets, tears staining your pillows as you shook with silent sobs, trying to think of anything that might calm you down. You couldn't call your best friend Maiko; she'd already be passed out by this time. You couldn't sing yourself to sleep; it would only remind you of how your father used to do so when you were younger. The solution came as a shock to you. It was that one noxious, well-known scent accompanied by the face of one you barely knew, yet who was so familiar which was successful in achieving peace for you that night. Remembering the cigarette smoke wafting into your nose and those honest amber eyes gazing into your (e/c) ones granted you the gift of restful sleep.

    The next morning, you called up your friend and finally told her about the incident, explaining why you hadn't contacted her sooner. At first, she said only how glad she was you'd survived. After which she told you not to get the police involved, taking into consideration about how HOMRA was now in the mix. They'd take well enough care of the nasties who tried to hurt you. Then she asked if you got Mikoto's number, also when you two were going out on a date.

    "You've got to be joking."

    "Not one bit," Maiko replied in all seriousness. "It's clear he likes your spunk, otherwise he would've ignored you. You aren't too shabby looking, he's a definite head turner-"

    "Maiko!" you exclaimed. 

    She groaned in retaliation. "Look, I'm not saying you should go marry the guy, I'm just saying it might be fun to go out with him, be a bit spontaneous. You might end up liking it."

    "He doesn't even seem like the type who would date," you sighed, flopping your body onto your couch. "He's a King. I'm a boring klutz who has a talent of embarrassing herself. I don't think we'd get along too well."

    "And you wonder why you're single. You have an obvious connection to the guy, he didn't cringe when he saw you-"

    "Thanks a bunch, friend. Really feeling the love right now."

    "Hey, I'm an honest person, what'd you expect?" You could hear a slight tone of mischief in her voice.

    "You got a point there." You smiled to yourself ruefully, but you knew she meant well.

    You had to admit, you were lonely sometimes, with your adoptive parents and old friends back in (c/n, if Japan, city name), living alone in your apartment. You'd tried dating before, tried being the key word, as you always found some excuse to cancel or not ask the person out in the first place (which was what you were doing as of that moment). Maiko was your life line, one of your only true friends in Shizume City.

    "I know you don't like mentioning your love life in front of our other friends. Still, I've seen the sad eyes you get every time someone says something about their new boyfriend, how good of a kisser they are, etcetera. You can't hide it from me, missy."

    Not too happy about being put on the spot, you changed the subject in a hurry to her love life, "By the way, how's it going with the new guy you started dating? Have any chance with you?"

    You sensed Maiko's glare through the phone connection. "No, he was too clingy. Definitely not my type." You heard a doorbell ring on her side, sensing it would be the end of your conversation.

    "Someone's at the door, so bye for now. This talk about Mr. Red King isn't over, by the way. You can't sneak past me."

    "Bye," you said in a slight sheepish tone before the call got disconnected.

    'Weird,' you thought. 'She likes to shoot a sarcastic comment at me before hanging up. Must've been in a hurry.'

    Despite trying to convince yourself she was rushed by the person at her door, you still got a nagging sense that something felt wrong about the whole situation. You didn't know why you experienced such a strange feeling, after all, she'd only hung up a little different than usual. You decided to text Maiko the next morning, see if everything was alright, hoping your sixth sense would be wrong and you'd only embarrass yourself with your over-worrying when you contacted her. The sixth sense hadn't gotten anything wrong so far, though...


	4. Miracle

    Chained up in a dark, damp room with torn up clothes, half-freezing to death was not how you planned on spending your week. At this rate, you'd get a pink slip from your employer on account of "skipping too many days." You'd went over to your friend's house to check up on her, deciding that texting her wouldn't cut it. Bad idea. Instead of finding Maiko on the couch in her sweats, enjoying a new anime, you found a trashed apartment that had no door and a smashed cell phone. You should've hightailed it out of the place the moment you saw the damage, but a message scrawled on the wall opposite the doorway froze you in your tracks: 

    "YOUR NEXT," written in a red-like substance with the improper grammar, a perfect example of why you should always double-check before writing in a permanent substance.

    Despite the error, your heart still pounded in your chest, fear gripping you in its clutches. The scene surrounding you made it clear your friend was no longer here; kidnapped or dead, you didn't know. Either Maiko was (at the very least) in danger and you knew it had something to do with you. You became so absorbed in the fact, you failed to notice a man creeping up to you, rock in hand. You only happened to snap out of it when you heard a creak in the wood floor, turning around to see the new arrival, only to find a pointy rock flying at your head.

    'Not again,' you mentally groaned as your mind faded into obliviousness.

    Next thing you knew, you woke up in this grimy, gloomy place, beginning to wonder if you had started losing all your common sense. You'd walked into a gang infested territory at night because you decided to space out. You ran straight into a trap, almost getting kidnapped because of it. You didn't run away at the first sign of danger when you came across Maiko's wrecked apartment, either! You needed to get a handle on when and where you should run, preferably before it ended up getting you killed.

    You saw no sign of your best friend, but you couldn't see much of what lay around you, anyway. The wound on your temple began to throb, preventing anymore thinking on the subject. Then the incredible soreness in your arms struck you, calling attention to the chains grasped tightly around your wrists, hanging you up from a high ceiling. Not a second after this realization, the telltale sound of a gate scraping against concrete reverberated through the abandoned warehouse, soon followed by the echo of footsteps.

    Your heart rate skyrocketed when you saw one of the person's faces. To your horror, you recognized it as the face of the very same man who attacked you about a week ago. His two goonies flanked him, faces blank, but their eyes betraying their apprehensiveness. You knew it was because of the last time they assaulted you, HOMRA decided to intervene. You bet they gave them a beating. Rino wore sunglasses, which confused you to no end. You could barely see without anything covering your eyes!

    "We meet again, bitch," his hostile tone interrupted your confusion, hands clenching into tight fists.

    Your own hands started shaking, from the cold or the fear, you couldn't tell. Yet you didn't stop your tongue from retorting back, "You could have just asked me on a date if you wanted to see me again so bad." You cringed right after you finished. You needed better control of your impulses pronto, preferably before they got you killed.

    "You little-"

    The jerk got held back from punching you by his colleagues, who exchanged knowing looks. Rino struggled but got nowhere. What a shocker.

    "Let go, you stupid apes! The boss ain't here, just let me hit the bitch before he gets back!"

    You hoped the boss would come soon, if only to spare you from Rino's wrath. If these were his goons, though, no telling how much worse their leader would be.

    "You would disobey the man who gave you new life, new purpose, all to get one worthless punch in? I expected nothing less from you, Rino," another person chimed in, obvious arrogance and authority in every word spoken. You hadn't even noticed the new man arrive; you were too absorbed in trying to control your body's trembling.

    The first feature about him to catch your attention: the smile. It beamed at you, light bouncing off the pearly whites, smile lines wrinkling the owner's cheeks. At first glance, it appeared inviting, out-of-place in such a dingy place like this. But taking a closer look revealed the true story hidden behind the dazzling façade. It was the smile of a liar, a person who made a living by tricking others. The smile lines stretched along his face as if they'd been practiced just to disarm naïve girls and lure them into unsuspecting traps. Those teeth gleamed far too brightly. They looked like someone painted white gloss with blinding sparkles on them. You knew he was bad news just from that way too perfect grin. Underneath it, there would be something far uglier and eviler than the false guise he now wore.

    "But, look how well the last time you went against my orders worked out. You no longer have any eyes, ha!" The boss's unsettling laughter echoed through the warehouse, sounding much like something from a horror movie. Yep, definitely not a person you'd want to be friends with.

    "That explains the pointless, cheesy sunglasses." For the second time that day, you found that you had no filter for your ever-chatty mouth. The scars on your palms began to itch like crazy, something they did whenever anxiety, or fear, began to set in.

    All eyes looked at you, fear in the henchmen's, amusement in the leader's.

    "Ooh, no wonder I've heard so much about your lovely face. You've got some guts, don't you?" He flashed another unsettling grin in your direction, goosebumps tingling your skin as he did.

    The man trod closer to you, enabling you to get a better view of the fiend. Imagine your surprise when you saw the snapback, the saggy, ripped clothes, chopped hair, and the small, squinty eyes. The head honcho looked like nothing you'd imagined. You thought he'd have a fancy suit with dyed, gelled hair, a person you could tell had power or intelligence. But you should never judge someone based solely on their looks, and you didn't even need to see his style choices before you concluded that he wasn't someone you should underestimate. Not to mention how well he articulated himself, speaking more like a British person from the Victorian era than a street gangster.

    "Well, I'm guessing you've never been reprimanded for such insolent behavior, so I'll be decent and let you off this one time." He grabbed your shoulder, then stood behind you, causing your muscles to tense up. You could sense the seething, underlying anger in his words, which scared you to no end. Who knew what he could be capable of?

    "After all, I still need you conscious for what I'm about to do. But your friend might not get such luck. There still needs to be _some_ kind of punishment, even if it doesn't hurt you personally, right?" Your heart jumped into your throat this time. What would they do to Maiko?

    The grip tightened around your shoulder, causing you to hold back a wince. "No response, hmm? Disappointing. I had hoped it would take more for you to crack. It's not as fun for me or my boys. Right, Rino?"

    The goon in question looked about ready to explode, face getting redder by the minute.

    The boss let go of my shoulder then started to circle around me like a lion circling its injured prey, waiting until its guard went down before going for the kill. "Now down to business. I have lost some things very valuable to me and I would like them back before anyone else finds them. A little birdie told me you could help find the items in question."

    Your eyebrows knitted in confusion. How could you find someone else's belongings when you had enough trouble finding your own? Sure, sometimes you knew certain things without any prior knowledge of them or you got feelings about people you only met once. Still, it did _not_ mean you could just conjure up any information you wanted or needed, though not from lack of trying.

    Your father made you aware of the ability when you came up to him one day after you had discovered your new teacher was being cheated on by her husband, the principal, despite never knowing about their marriage or ever seeing the principal in the presence of the other woman. You, being inexperienced and young, blurted the knowledge out at your teacher, not aware of the uproar or damage it would cause. She, understandably, lost her cool. She had been near the end of her ropes: hearing about her husband's affair was the last straw. She screamed you out of the classroom, hauling your terrified body down to the office, only to find the principal kissing another woman in his personal room (yeah, he failed at being a good principal, too).

    Safe to say, you went home earlier than your classmates. Your father didn't get angry at you; he had experienced a similar situation when he was your age. He explained that he had the same gift you did: claircognizance. You never got the chance to learn from him, though, for the two days later, he died in the fire which took away your little sister's life as well.

    "Yoohoo, hello? I asked you a question and I expect an answer." A familiar, gut-wrenching scream followed the words, silencing any retort you could create. Your wrists tried to squeeze themselves out of their restraints, only succeeding in rattling the chains up a bit. You then heard a scraping noise for a few seconds before Maiko appeared in your vision, about four feet in front of you, bound to a chair with a clear burn mark on her cheek.

    The boss man gripped hold of your chin, forcing you to look into his soulless eyes. "I suggest you stop misbehaving, or Ms. Maiko here will have a lot more to scream about."

    You couldn't resist the urge to spit smack dab in his smug, angry face. He could threaten you, he could hurt you however much he wanted, but how dare he do so to your best friend. Not to mention you hated when people got up in your personal space like he did.

    The leader growled for the first time then barked at the men holding down Rino, "That is it! Let 'im go, boys! This bitch needs to learn respect somehow."

    They gave each other a look, simultaneously letting your original attacker go to do whatever he wanted to you. He slammed his clenched fist down into your abdomen, soon after decking your jaw, sending your head flying back. It must've been a solid punch, for it knocked you out for the second time that week, body throbbing with excruciating pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The next three days were absolute torture for you two girls. Rowan (the boss's name you later found out) started trying to get you to find out where those stupid missing items of his, using all sorts of methods, from simple exercises to boost your claircognizance or resorting to beating either you or Maiko up to "motivate" you to do so. Every part of your body ached, the hope of being rescued dwindling more as time went on. This place must have been out-of-the-way because the number of yells and screams let off from inside it would've warned someone by now if it was in the city or near it.

    You spluttered out a spray of blood into Rino's empty eye sockets. Despite not being able to see, he always knew exactly where he'd find you so he could punch you where it hurt the most. You had to have at least a little internal bleeding now, hence the spitting up of blood.

    "Ain't nobody gonna save your hoe ass now, bitch. It's been three days. No way those red punks can find us here. Boss made sure," Rino sneered, lip curling to reveal smelly, rotten teeth.

    "Yet you still haven't brushed your teeth or shut your mouth."

    At this point, you didn't care about watching your smart mouth anymore. The gang members would hurt either you or Maiko no matter what you did. They'd use any excuse to punch you, kick you, cut you, anything to get you to find their "missing items" (as long as they got permission from Mr. Rowan), which you still had no idea where or what they were. Rowan expected your claircognizance to magically start working with some "persuasive" techniques, but nothing worked. Maybe because you, by no means, wanted to find the dang things to begin with! Common sense told you they would be weapons of mass destruction or potent drugs, nothing good, of course.

    His fist slammed into your jaw, dislocating it with a sharp snap. You let out a cry of agony not for the first time. He hit you again, this time in your left ear, causing it to ring and disorient your senses. You braced yourself for another; his punches always came in fours. But he never got to finish his session, for Mr. Demented decided to make an appearance.

    "Hello, Y/N, feeling any better today? Feeling lucky?" Rowan sat himself down in a rickety old chair in front of you, flashing that infamous, arrogant smile over your way.

    "Considering I'm chained up and beaten up, I don't think I can get much worse; so, in other words, I'm doing just peachy, thanks for asking." You gave him your fakest smile yet, biting back a whimper as an enormous ache perforated your dislocated, perhaps broken mandible.

    "Ooh, you still have the attitude. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Now, where are the items in question? I think you've had enough time to figure it out."

    You glared at him with squinted (e/c) eyes, trying to seem as menacing as possible looking through sore, swollen black eyes, a slight slur in your voice, "I've already told you, I can't find whatever it ish* you need to find if I don't even know what _it_ ish."

    Rowan's jaw visibly tightened (in frustration, you guessed) and he made a motioning gesture to one of the men behind him. The henchman reached off to the side and unceremoniously dragged Maiko closer to you, who looked as terrible as you felt, cuts, burns, and bruises canvassing her body. Your gazes met, both conveying utter torment.

    "Since nothing else has worked, I'm going to resort to more drastic measures." He made another hand gesture to the same man, who pulled out a crude, jagged knife covered in a crusty, brownish substance that appeared eerily similar to dried blood.

    Both of your pupils dilated, fearing Rowan's next orders. You'd never seen the particular weapon and knew it would bring about an injury far worse than your earlier ones. In a flash of movement, the six-foot giant seized Maiko by her hair then held the knife right up to her jugular, smirking wildly.

    "Shtop it!" you screeched out, again aggravating your jaw and sending tears running down your cheeks in waves, blood and drool dripping from your mouth. You knew where this was headed. If you didn't find the boss's stupid junk, you'd have your friend's life taken away from you. Where was a miracle when you needed one? More specifically, where was your red-headed savior?

    "You know the drill, girl. You don't get what I want, she dies," the smug asshole threatened in a growling tone, his inferior digging the blade farther into Maiko's skin.

    You struggled to get a good breath in, your lower lip beginning to lose feeling and your bite completely off-center. There would be no way you could concentrate on, much less give an actual answer to Rowan's question.

    "Ughh, how annoying. I was hoping for a better turnout, but I'll admit, the person who told me of your ability greatly exaggerated it."

    His expression represented the epitome of boredom, "So go ahead, Mogi. Kill the girl. We no longer have any use for her."

    You let out a blubbery sob/scream into the air as Mogi raised the weapon high up above him, then brought it down in a swift motion. But it never reached its intended destination.

    You heard a distinct, sickening sound of multiple bones breaking and the would-be killer dropped the knife like it burned him, letting out a resounding shout as his hand started crumpling up as easily as a thin sheet of paper destined for the trash would. It looked like something out of a horror movie.

    Rowan sent a sharp, pointed glare over at you, scrutinizing your every move. It wasn't new; however, the fear lingering under the scrutiny was. "She failed to mention that you were a Strain, though."

    'A Strain? What?!'

    The deafening wham of a steel door slamming open interrupted your train of thought, and the one person you'd been praying to come save you walked right in, a red fire dancing across his entire body, unbridled rage kindling in those stunning amber orbs. His band of loyal kinsmen stood behind their King, ready to bust some heads. Even the little white-haired girl was with him, holding the arm of another Clansman.

    "I thought I told you to stay out of my way." Mikoto's expression remained impassive, but you could feel the fury emanating from the Red King's countenance.

    With those words, his Red Aura burned a path to Rino, instantaneously igniting the criminal and incinerating him into ashes, not even giving him time to scream. He then directed the fire over to Mogi, burning his hands into nothing. After which the King popped out a cigarette and started puffing it, an action the rest took as their signal to join in.

    A breath you didn't know you had held released itself, relief coursing through your veins. You were saved, again...by your savior, no doubt.

    Yet holding that breath hadn't been the best idea, as your breathing was already messed up by the broken jaw. You went into a coughing fit, spitting globs of blood out onto the gray, concrete floor.

    The girl calmly rushed to your side with the gentler looking Clansman as Mr. Kusanagi went over to Maiko's, Mikoto following. She kept your gaze as Mikoto and the other Clansman worked on melting the cuff links attaching you to the ceiling. The King, with a surprising gentleness, wrapped a strong, supporting arm around your waist to catch you once the chains broke.

    When the two finally succeeded in their task, you crumpled, exhausted and in great need of medical help. Mikoto swiftly lifted your limp body into his protective hold, filling you with a sense of safety that lulled you into a dream-like state, close to losing consciousness.

    "Sleep," a soothing voice whispered and so you obeyed, giving into your pain and exhaustion.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the ish (is) and the shtop (stop) are on purpose, it's to try to give the reader a slur because of her fractured and dislocated jaw.


	5. King

    "She's stable, but it'll take a while before she wakes up. She sustained multiple injuries to her face and abdominal area, so she'll need some time to fully heal."

    The words bounced around in your brain, yet you couldn't grasp their meaning.

    "D-do you know what happened, doctor?"

    Doctor was the only word you managed to grasp.

    The doctor, you assumed, spoke again, "No, I'm afraid we don't. She was dropped off by two young gentlemen who left her here in our care. They took their leave soon after, not before making sure she'd be safe. They offered to help pay for her care and gave us $3,000 toward the bills, too."

    A serene, familiar voice responded, "Could they have been the ones that hurt Y/N?"

    The faint beeping of a machine echoed in your ears, matching the beat of your heart. Y/N? A doctor? Possibly a heart monitor? What happened to you?!

    "No, if they'd been the ones to do it, they wouldn't have brought your daughter in in the first place. The type of people who abuse others like they did Ms. L/N, don't like any government attention."

    "Well, I'm just glad she's alive. That jaw injury still worries me, though," another familiar voice said.

    The memories of your kidnapping began to flood back into your brain, causing your heart rate to skyrocket and what you assumed was the heart monitor to beep like crazy. Your eyes bolted open, your body shaking and convulsing off the hospital bed, your breathing shallow while your pupils dilated to an extreme.

    "Y/N!"

    The next thing you knew, a female doctor came rushing over to your side, pinning your arms down against the thin mattress. A few nurses rushed in to help her.

     "She's going into shock!"

    You didn't hear anything after, for you felt a small pinprick on your arm, then everything turned black*.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    When you regained consciousness, you noticed no one in the room, only a bouquet of fresh yellow roses sitting on a side table. Your brain didn't quite comprehend your surroundings yet, so when you tried to wiggle around, you were met with resistance. Your arms covered in tubes connected to various machines or bags, straps binding you down, reminded you of your exact location again.

    A dull, agonizing pain began to radiate from your abdominal area and your jaw, reminding you of your hellish ordeal. You looked down into your gown to see your stomach's condition, noticing a long, thin scar starting from the end of your abdominal cavity to ending about an inch past your belly button. You tried to move your mandible all the way down, but it stayed in place, the movement only succeeding in making aggravating the area even more.

    Not capable of doing much else, your mind drifted to the last things you heard before being rescued by HOMRA in the nick of time. Trying to not think about the fact you had almost died, you forced yourself to focus on the other details of the encounter.

    You heard the word "Strain" before, having lived in Shizume City for three years now, strangers on sidewalks whispering it to each other as they walked along the crowded streets. You knew they were special, different, from the research you did. _How_ they differed, you never found out. The information was there (you had a gut feeling), though it somehow wasn't accessible, like someone didn't want you to know what a Strain could do. You left it at that at the time, convincing yourself you didn't need to know.

    However, you hadn't ever been referred to as being part of these Strains until the kidnapping, when Mogi's fingers folded in on themselves before the knife reached your best friend's jugular. Thinking about the fear brimming in Rowan's eyes when those words spilled from his mouth sent a shiver through you. From the look of things, he seemed to think it was _you_  who crushed his henchman's hand. How could you have, though?! You knew you were claircognizant, your father made you aware of that. The power to crush someone's fingers to bits was not part of that package, though!

    Then another question posed itself to you. Who informed Rowan in the first place about your power? You thought no one else knew except your dad, who no longer lived in the real world. The gang leader said it was a she, too.

    You started to hyperventilate, you were taking in too much shocking, confusing information at once. Thank goodness your adoptive mother decided to come to the hospital, or you might've had a full-blown panic attack. Once she came into your room, she instantly noticed your chest beginning to heave faster than normal and she dashed over to your side, taking you into a careful hug.

    "Shh, shh, my dear. You're safe now. It's okay," the older woman comforted, relaxing her grip only when she sensed your breathing slow down to a normal rate. The arms around you and the hand stroking your back did the trick; the words did not. You had the feeling you weren't safe. Someone knew of your claircognizance, informing dangerous gang leaders about the ability thus endangering your life as well as your friend's.

    Remembering the raised scar on your abdomen, you asked through clenched teeth (seeing as they were unable to move) after she let you go, "Do you know what they did to me, Mama?"

    "Well, when they first examined you, Y/N, the nurses had to get you straight into the ER for an exploratory laparotomy, because of the severe internal bleeding in your abdomen. They contacted your father and me an hour later, after finding your wallet in your jacket with our contact information (you didn't come totally unprepared). Your father came before me since I had a business meeting in Tokyo when the hospital called." She twiddled her wedding ring around while speaking to you, a nervous habit of hers when she was worried or stressed.

    "When he got here, you had just gotten out of surgery, still under anesthesia. About twelve hours later, when I arrived, they wired your jaw because of the fracture it sustained. It ended up getting infected a day later, so your body went into septic shock. The orthopedic surgeon cleaned up the infection and put you on antibiotics. You'll have to stay here for another seven days, just to be safe." Your mom never left out any details, she's so meticulous. Which probably explains why she manages a business firm in (c/n) and why you could always count on her to tell you what's what.

    You rested back against the hospital bed, trying to absorb all she told you as best as possible, yet finding it difficult to concentrate (what a shocker). You came closer to death than you realized... Then another question popped into your head.

    "Have you seen anyone else come in here, besides staff?" You had a feeling someone did, but you weren't quite sure.

    Your mother gave you a strange, skeptical stare before answering in a suspicious tone, "None that I'm aware of, why? Are you expecting anyone? A boyfriend or maybe a friend-with-benefits I'm unaware of?"

    "Mom!" you exclaimed, blood rushing to your cheeks, teeth vibrating from the noise. "You know I'd tell you if I ever got one, which I haven't." Your jaw started to ache even more.

    "Stop straining yourself, Y/N, you're still healing," the business woman chastised, twisting her ring faster, "and how am I supposed to know? I had to find out from your friend that you almost got raped in another attack three weeks ago!"

    Your (e/c) eyes broke contact with hers for the first time in shame. You knew you were forgetful sometimes. But you also didn't tell your second parents because you were ashamed of yourself, scared of proving their worries right.

    They hadn't been too happy when they found out the city you'd be moving to after graduation. They'd heard of all the trouble brewing in Shizume City and they worried about their only daughter starting her new life there. Your mother was the main naysayer, stating how much more likely the chances were of you getting robbed or kidnapped there than at home by their sides. If you told your parents what happened, you'd be admitting your own naïvety to them. Oh, how you hated disappointing others!

    A few wet drops dripped onto the pillow below you, every bad feeling you had resurfacing as you replied, voice cracking, "I was afraid of what you would think of me, Mom."

    "Oh, honey, you shouldn't feel afraid of what I'd think! I'm sorry. I just-I just have a hard time expressing my worry sometimes. I don't mean to make you feel like you can't come to either of us if you're in trouble or pain." She patted my forehead in a calming, yet awkward motion. Your mother liked her personal space, so she hated intruding on other people's. This situation, she made an exception, but you could tell she was still uncomfortable.

    Then, as quickly as she put her hand there, she took it off and got up off the bed, going over to the table where the yellow roses resided. She began rearranging them, back turned towards you. She moved to say something else, shoulder turning to you, when her hands stopped and picked up a rose. It was not a yellow rose, however; it was red and white, petals resembling the flames of a fire in shape.

    "Looks like somebody else did come in. Any idea who, Y/N?" She gave you an inquiring gaze.

    You knew it had to be a person from HOMRA who put it there. Who else would put a rose of that color and shape in your room? You preferred to abstain from telling your mom, though, just because you didn't want to scare her even more. Informing her of your involvement with another gang would probably make her pass out from overwhelming fear and worry. You decided to lie instead. 

    "No, Mom, I don't."

**~ONE MONTH LATER~**

    "I'm gonna do it; today is the day. No excuses, no backing down."

    You rolled your eyes at yourself in the mirror then smacked your forehead in frustration. "Ughh, I sound so corny right now. It's a wonder how I manage to motivate myself to do anything in life."

    Today was the day you would ask to become a part of HOMRA.

    After your week of recovery, you went back to your apartment, only to find a neatly wrapped package with a note next to it saying, "Try to be more careful in the future." You snorted, half-amused, unwrapping it to see the book you'd wanted for so long, yet forgot in the ensuing chaos of the past few weeks. A smile adorned your face for the first time in a long while.

    Maiko got out of the hospital before you did, not suffering from a broken mandible like you. You both were traumatized and you blamed yourself for her injuries. She'd have none of you blaming yourself, though, saying you weren't the one to hit her or beat her. She refused to hear anything else on the subject, so you left it alone. In turn, it strengthened the bond between the two of you. However, you didn't tell her or any other soul about your supposed new powers, or the fact you might be a Strain. You wanted to keep it a secret until you were certain you did it.

    Once your jaw fully healed, you both decided (more like Maiko forced you to come, threatening to shred your favorite book if you didn't) to make a visit to HOMRA headquarters to give some gratitude, you know, since they saved your lives and all. It was awkward at first, but you soon found yourself easily falling into conversation with a lot of the members. Kusanagi, Totsuka, and Fujishima made you feel the most comfortable, being the friendliest ones. Yata couldn't talk to either you or Maiko without stuttering or blushing, especially after she winked at him in quite a flirty way. You could tell she liked him. Chitose tried to hit on you girls several times, all being unsuccessful seeing as one of his fellow Clansmen would smack him on the head every time he did. Kamamoto tried to get a word in edgewise, but he was always surrounded by girls who always wanted his attention. Mikoto himself even came out, exchanging a few sassy one liners with you two, causing Maiko to wiggle her eyebrows and nudge you a few times, much to your chagrin (and embarrassment).

    You had a great time in all, having a few drinks and good conversation until dusk before having to leave for the night, albeit reluctantly. The best part of it was, you forgot about your ordeal for just a moment and laughed like you hadn't in a long while. You enjoyed it so much that you kept coming back whenever you had a spare hour or two from your new job. You had been allowed to keep your previous one after your boss found out about your ordeal (from Maiko of course, since you didn't want to face them after missing so many days). You wanted to stretch yourself a bit more, so you got another part-time job at a soup kitchen, serving food and cleaning up the joint. It was fulfilling, not stressful at all; in other words, it was perfect. You fixed things with your parents as well, after a long talk about safety, only consenting to leaving if you took a self-defense class, bought a new bike and a new, tougher lock for your door.

    You started going to the bar on such a normal basis that Kusanagi referred to you as one of his regulars. Almost everyone there knew your name by now. They said hi every time you came in. Mikoto could even spare you a wave and a smirk when you arrived. HOMRA's base became your go to place to unwind, have a laugh. It was like a second home. Which is why you were now walking to the place, determined to finally become a member of the Red Clan.

    Imagine your luck when it just happened to begin raining on your journey there (yeah right, twenty percent chance of precipitation, your ass). You'd primped yourself up a bit, gotten on pants that weren't pajamas, and wore shoes that weren't tennis shoes. Once again, life wanted to test your patience. You were able get there eventually, despite the rain pounding into your face and soaking your clothes. However, your confidence was now almost all gone.

    You heaved opened the doors to the bar, albeit with much effort, feeling about a hundred times more unsure than when you left your apartment and considered turning back around. The prospect of trudging through the rain again prevented you from doing so.

    "Ooh, look what the cat dragged in," one of the ruder customers said as you walked in.

    You glared at him, not amused in the slightest by the offhanded remark. You knew you didn't look the greatest, yet what he said to you was uncalled for. You decided to give him a piece of your mind in return.

    "Ooh, look what the dog threw up." You flashed your fakest grin at the man before taking a seat at the bar. Kusanagi appeared quite entertained by it, fighting back a smirk as the customer slammed the money he owed down on the table and stomped out of the joint into the pouring rain.

   "Been saving that one for a while, haven't you?" Kusanagi flipped out a shot glass and poured some whiskey in it, eyes gleaming in amusement.

    "Yes, I have, and it f-felt amazing-ing," you stuttered, the cold beginning to set in. You downed the shot in one gulp, hoping to get some warmth in your throat.

    "Are you okay, Y/N? You look cold," a sweet, gentle voice interjected. You swiveled around to the direction of the speaker, not surprised to see Totsuka sitting beside you with a look of concern.

   You waved him off, not wanting to be a bother, "I-I'll b-be fine, Totsuka. Don't worry. I-I'm feeling w-warmer already-y."

    Not a second later, you felt a warmth envelope your upper body, causing you to jump a bit out of your seat and turned around to see Mikoto of all people behind you.

    "Take better care of yourself," was all he said before he sat himself down on the red couch. He could come off brusque sometimes, but you knew he meant well.

    You tugged the warm, smoke-smelling coat of Mikoto's closer to your person, a small blush adorning your cheeks. You had to admit, you were a little awfully attracted to the fiery redheaded King and him wrapping you in his snug, musky jacket made you fangirl inside.

    You basked in the warmth for a few minutes longer before you began to debate whether to go up to Mikoto and ask admittance into the Red Clan. Your leg started bouncing against the bar chair, your palms getting itchier each passing moment.

    "Are you sure you're okay, Y/N?"

    With those words, you popped out of your seat, a bit on edge and repeated yes, blushing as bright as a cherry now, wanting to slap yourself for being so jumpy today. A few Clansmen raised their eyebrows at your strange behavior, confused as to why you were acting so weird.

    'Well, they'll see in a moment,' you mentally quipped.

    At this point, you had nothing to lose, right? You were already embarrassed beyond belief and you wouldn't get any less scared if you just continued sitting there, being anxious, so you marched over to where Mikoto laid, stuck out your right hand and stated, "I want to be a member of HOMRA."

    Everyone shut their mouths, turning their attention to you. The only sound you could hear was the water dripping down from your clothes into the floor below you. Expressions ranged from utter disbelief, to impassiveness, to pleased (from Kusanagi and Tatara, of course). No grown woman had _ever_ attempted to join the Clan.

    They all waited with bated breath as Mikoto looked up into your bright, earnest (e/c) eyes, seeming to search for something, dishonesty or hidden intentions, you didn't know. Whatever it was, he didn't find it, for the King got up off the couch and smirked down at you.

    "Don't get burned." He lit his hand aflame and took yours, the red Aura brushing against the skin of your arm like it was alive. You felt a tingling sensation in your neck, the chill in your bones starting to go away. By the time he let go of you, the cold disappeared along with the small, persistent ache still in your jaw bone.

    The figurative dam burst as the room filled with happy voices once again.

    "Welcome to HOMRA, Y/N." Totsuka wrapped an arm around your shoulders, smiling one of the most delighted smiles you had ever seen. And out of the corner of your vision, you saw the little Princess curling her tiny, red lips in one, too.


	6. Friend

    'Click, clock, click, clock,' went the sound of your heels on the hard concrete of the sidewalk. Anna held your hand in hers as you both walked to the dress shop together. Her dress had a long rip in it, so you offered to take her there, knowing none of the guys would want to (or would admit to wanting to). Besides, it gave the chance to spend some one on one time with the girl and you'd take her out to buy a new bathing suit for next summer.

    No one else came along with you, though several insisted. They thought two ladies taking a stroll by themselves through Shizume City was a bad idea, but you told them the shop would only take under ten minutes to get to and you could handle yourselves well enough, even if you weren't the strongest members. They just got protective over you two; you understood.

    You felt a gentle tug on your arm, snapping you out of your head space.

    "We're here, Y/N." Anna glanced up at you, eyes meeting briefly before you smiled down at her, pushing open the revolving door to the shop.

    The place was absolute dress heaven, having dresses ranging from frilly summer to satin empire. You caught sight of the small lolita ones, guiding Anna to them. You let her search through them while you went up to the counter where several of the shopkeepers gathered around. You snickered a little to yourself as you went up to them, thinking about Mikoto or any other fellow Clansmen coming in here to buy Anna something. They'd suck it up for her, but you knew they'd get embarrassed or flustered at least a little, even Mr. Tough-Guy-King himself.

     "Hello," you addressed one of the ladies, "could I have a repair done on a small lolita dress? None of my family is talented in sewing or mending and I have plenty of money to pay."

    A middle-aged woman beamed at you, "Yes, we sure can. Do you have the dress with you?"

    You returned the smile, pointing over to Anna, "It's on my sister. I came here to buy a new dress for her, too."

    She gave you a confused look, "Then why is she wearing it?"

    "It's torn in the bottom layers and it's her favorite dress, so she won't take it off, heh." You shot her a guilty simper this time.

    Her expression changed to one of understanding, "Ahh, I see. Once she has the new dress, you'll give the old one to me so I can fix it. We can do that."

    After you paid for the service, thanking the dressmaker, you found Anna staring at a red lolita with a black shawl, very similar the one she wore now, just reversed in colors.

    "It would look beautiful on you, Anna."

    "You think so?" she asked, tone emotionless; yet you still sensed the hope behind the question.

    "I know so." You took her hand again, giving her a reassuring squeeze before guiding her to dressing room to change, new dress in hand.

    Anna let the sides of her mouth curl upwards a tiny fraction then went to go put it on. You paid for the dress beforehand at the register so you could leave whenever she got done putting it on. After which you sat down on a chair next to the dressing room to wait for her. You pulled out the new book you'd checked out a week ago to read for a few minutes during your wait.

    You never did get a chance to read, though, for the second you opened it to the first page, a harsh whisper behind you caught your attention.

    "Are you crazy, Sawa? You can't wear a dress like that!"

    You took a discreet glance over your shoulder to see the speaker, catching sight of two women and a man who appeared the same age as you, sifting through some of the more expensive dresses. You made brief eye contact with the girl holding up a bright yellow sundress, making your head turn back to its original place in a hurry.

    'Subtle, Y/N, subtle,' you thought.

    It didn't stop you from listening, though. It's not like they tried being quiet about their conversation now.

    "Your fat would make it look frumpy."

    The world stopped for a moment. Did she seriously just call her friend _fat_? From what you noticed, they had the same body type and the speaker was wearing a near identical sundress to one her friend held up! She was shaming herself, too! The man said nothing in defense or in protest, which made you even angrier.

    "Your boobs aren't small enough, either."

    Thank goodness Anna came out then or you'd have gotten in some major trouble with those people. You couldn't stand any type of bullying, having been a victim in the past and a decent human being. You didn't want Anna to see you behaving that way nor did you want to start a fight when you only came in to buy something.

    "I'm ready."

    You threw one last stare of contempt at the two before turning back to your Clansman.

    "Okay, beautiful, let's go find you a new bathing suit."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    After handing in the torn dress and leaving, you went down a block to the swim shop, where you perused the selection of bathing suits awhile (trying to keep your mind off the earlier incident), until you found the perfect red one piece, neckline decorated in black bows, for Anna. She loved it. You started to head to the register when:

    "You need a swim suit, too."

    You froze in your tracks, then turned your attention back to Anna. She held up a gorgeous bright red bikini, tassels hanging off the top half.

    "O-oh, Anna, I don't think I'll look good in that one. It's far too pretty for me. Besides, we're shopping for you, not me," you dismissed in an instant.

    You didn't want to tell her the real reason you rejected the bathing suit because of how ashamed you felt.

    The scar from your surgery made you self-conscious of exposing your abdomen in any way. You thought you'd be made fun of the same way you had been back in grade school for the scars on your palms. Therefore, you avoided wearing tube tops or bikinis out of fear. Fear of being ridiculed, fear of being singled out.

    You thought you'd gotten rid of the toxic thing when you moved out of your adoptive parents' house. Yet it creeped back into you after seeing the life almost beaten out of your friend, after almost feeling the life drain out of of you.

    You were fine when working at the soup kitchen or the library. Taking the self-defense class, talking to your friends, and biking took your mind off the trauma as well. However, when you got home, you broke. Being alone, doing nothing productive, no one to distract you, perpetuated your symptoms. Your body shaking, brain screaming, breathing rapid as you'd fall down on the floor, sobs wracking your body as you got terrible flashbacks racing through your brain. They invaded your dreams, too, causing daily insomnia.

    You didn't tell anyone, not even your fellow HOMRA members, about your consistent panic attacks, or your constant nightmares, or your diminishing self-esteem, though. You kept it to yourself, afraid of feeling like a burden or being rejected by the people you cared for. The bags under your eye sockets were getting harder to cover up, though, and trying to keep up the ruse of having energy all the time would drain the little energy you had left. It'd be only a matter of time before your deception got noticed by the people around you...

    "But you're beautiful, too, Y/N," Anna's voice caught your attention once more, her head tilted in confusion. Why would you not take something which matched your beauty after buying her a dress that matched hers?

    The words were so simple, yet full of so much honesty, they caused a single tear to escape down your right cheek. You bent down and gave her a light kiss on the forehead in thanks, taking the swim suit in your grasp.

    "Thank you, Anna. I think I will buy it after all." No promises you would actually wear it, though.

    You grabbed her hand up in yours then finally went up to the register to pay for the items. But life (such a surprise) decided it wasn't done throwing curve balls at you, for guess who walked through the door of the establishment next: none other than the bullied girl and her male companion. The other girl wasn't there with them.

    You got so distracted by their appearance, you didn't take notice of a certain Blue Clansman entering the shop as well.

    You paid for the bathing suits in a hurry, keen on leaving there quickly before you felt the need to cause a disturbance. You hated yourself for not defending the victim; however, you had an eleven year old in your charge who needed to go home ere her family began worrying.

    You had just put your fingers on the door handle when your ears caught the snap of a hand meeting a cheek. You spun a full 180° to see the young woman lying on the floor, a familiar expression of fear written on her face as she looked up at the man. You no longer saw her and the man; you saw yourself and Rino. Your anger, your own fear bubbled up out of your core before you could get it under control and you heard two loud cracks followed by screams of horror.

    His wrists hung limply in the air, his forearms bent at weird angles. You had broken his wrists and his arms. There was no denying your Strain status any longer, especially when a cold, female voice sounded right next to you, saying, "I need you to come with me, Ms. L/N."

~~Two hours later~~

    "You see, Ms. L/N, I do not want to hurt you, despite what you may think. However, if you force my hand, I will not hesitate to strike you down."

    You glared at the haughty Blue King, near wit's end after staying in his office for two whole hours, no breaks. You wanted to spit his eyes like you did to Rino, but the austere Lieutenant standing beside you, sword on hip, reminded you of how much more dangerous that would be. Besides, as far as you knew, he wasn't a criminal or had any intention of hurting you without provocation either.

    You'd been forcibly escorted to Scepter 4's headquarters by the ill-tempered Lieutenant Awashima, forced to leave Anna behind. Once there, you were guided to the Captain's main office, where you got a speech on maintaining better control of your emotions, thereby controlling your ability. The King gave you a special bracelet made to suppress powers like yours by the Gold Clan. And here you were now, anxious, irritated, trying hard to keep your cool.

    "Any questions?"

    You bit back a retort, reminding yourself of your place, instead choosing to reply in a polite tone, "Yes, I do. How did you find out about me in the first place? Both of you know my name and it's not like I've caused any trouble up until today."

   "Your mother, of course." He noticed the look of shock overcome your features. "I am going along with assumption you were not aware."

    'No, no, no, no, no! It couldn't possibly-'

    "She belonged to a secret criminal organization responsible for the deaths of many civilians and Strains alike. She left you to foster care when she considered you no longer useful, disappearing from Scepter 4's radar, until two months ago, when she discovered the existence of your claircognizance digging through school records. She informed her comrades..."

    You stopped listening after those words, piecing the pieces of the puzzle together from there. She must've been the one to tell Rowan of your claircognizance! Your own mother was responsible for the near murders of you and your best friend Maiko. If people wondered why you had trust issues sometimes, you could tell them this new fun fact.

    "...You will be glad to know she is in custody and will not harm you any longer."

    You shook your head to clear away empty-headedness in time to hear the Fourth King's last words to you.

    You flashed a polite smile, adding a sincere thank you. He may not be your favorite person in the world, far from it, yet you could thank him for ensuring your birth mother would never hurt you or Maiko or anyone else ever again.

    "That is all, Ms. L/N. You may leave now. You will find your companions waiting for you outside."

    You stood up out of your seat, bowed (although reluctantly) to the King out of thanks, then proceeded to leave the premises.

    True to his word, the moment you reached the outside, you noticed a small group of people gathered by the gate. As you walked closer, you recognized the faces of all the current HOMRA family standing there waiting for you, including Anna, which made you feel relieved.

    The huge gates opened up once you got closer and let you out for good, the anger towards others in you dwindling and getting replaced with the anger in yourself as well as the fear of your Clan's judgement.

    You didn't speak or look any of them in the eye except for Anna, not ready to see the disappointment or the revulsion in their gazes.

    "Are you okay, Anna?"

    She hummed an affirmative.

    You could feel holes burning through the back of your head. You knew they wanted answers, but they were too nice to ask right away.

    "Then let's leave this place. And I'll tell you guys everything. I owe it to you after leaving Anna alone."

    On the journey home, you proceeded to explain almost every detail of what lead up to you having a chat with the Blue King, leaving out the fact of your crap self-esteem in the swim shop. You stayed ahead of all of them as you treaded your way back to home base, avoiding the necessity of meeting their stares.

    "So, news flash, I'm a Strain who can break bones like nobody's business whose birth mother loves murdering innocent people. Anyone else care to share how their day went?"

    No response. Before allowing your brain to jump to the worst conclusion, you reminded yourself of the past few months, how they saved your life, made you feel welcome. You guessed they just needed some time to process it. You did, too.

    You halted in front of the bar, not wanting to go in for fear of having a panic attack (you were sure you would get one soon after the shock of today's events) in front of them.

    "Well, I guess I'll head back home. I think I left my stove by accident, and I don't want a burned down apartment on my hands."

    You almost got away with that crappy excuse, many of the members still in a daze over your words. But Anna wasn't going to let you and neither was your King. A certain, knowing look passed between the two, causing Mikoto to let go of her then latch onto your wrist before you had a chance to escape down the sidewalk. They wouldn't let a fellow member suffer alone.

    Your reflexes acted on their own accord, those self-defense classes kicking in, as a fist flew toward your unseen "enemy," nearly decking your crush/Clansman straight in the nose. Thank God Mikoto had good reflexes, dodging your fist in time.

    The redhead gave you no time for mortification, however, because he started dragging you into HOMRA immediately after, impassive face and all, ignoring your indignant noises of protest. When you both reached the stairs leading to his bedroom, he picked you up bridal style, not intending to let you escape. You were too damn surprised (not to mention embarrassed) to fight back or ask for help.

    Once the door to Mikoto's room was kicked shut behind you, your King gently placed you sitting up on the bed. You sat rigid, blinking in rapid succession while he leaned against a wall, scrutinizing your person.

    'Shit,' you cursed in your mind. You were screwed. Thinking of having a melt down in front of Mikoto increased your anxiety tenfold and your body began shaking on its own accord, breathing becoming more uncontrollable by the second. You closed your eyes to try to get a handle, forgetting where you were in the grips of the panic attack. Your heart felt close to bursting out of your chest, sweat accumulating on your forehead.

    What happened next shook you to your very core in amazement. The Red King himself sat down next to you, put an arm around to your back, and whispered in a calm tone, "You can breathe. You're safe."

    The man had never been in this kind of situation in the past. He couldn't walk off, or treat you the same way he treated any of the others in a similar setting. You required more delicacy and you'd been through hell a few weeks ago. You expressed your feelings in a different way than they did. But he knew reassuring you, holding you, would help ease your pain.

    He continued to repeat the phrase softly in your ear, the familiar scent of cigarette wafting up your nose, until your breathing slowing to a normal rate again, the pressure on your ribcage released.

    Mikoto pulled away from you a bit, arm still encircling your back. A sense of understanding passed between you two as you met one another's gazes, your eyes communicating what your mouths could not.

    You'd forgotten all about your embarrassment as he laid down on the bed, taking you with him. You knew by now no protesting would work on the stubborn Red King, so you let yourself fall back into the comforter in his embrace. A yawn stretched your lips, the lack of sleep beginning to catch up to you.

    "Get some sleep, Y/N," you caught the rich, masculine voice telling you before you fell into a deep, restful sleep against your friend's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if Mikoto or any of the other characters seem a bit OOC, but I had no real basis on which to draw from for the particular situations I wrote about. I decided to base their reactions on their characters and how I think their personalities would react. This fic is by no means making light of trauma victims or panic attacks. I tried to portray the experiences as best as I could, but I have never been a victim of trauma and I haven't ever had a panic attack, so there is only so much I can do short of experiencing them myself to make it any realer. If you suffer from either, I want you to know that you are NEVER completely alone and you have people who care about you. There are help lines and many online resources/groups that can help you. Stay strong, loves.  
> •On a different note, yay, another finished part! That bond between you and Mikoto is getting stronger each passing week. Be prepared for some fluffy goodness between you two next installment❤❤❤. Maybe we'll see a little action between Maiko and Yata as well. You'll just have to wait and see~


	7. Date

    "Y/N, if you don't ask him out soon, I'll go up and ask him for you."

    "Maiko!" you complained, cheeks redder than ripe cherries.

    She shot you an incredulous look, setting her herbal tea down on the table in front of you, "Don't you give me that, missy. You cannot deny how attracted you are to the man now or what chemistry you have between the two of you; especially considering you slept with him."

    "Don't say it out loud like that!" you whispered shouted through gritted teeth, trying to ignore some of the stares pointed in your direction.

    "Sorry, sorry. Yet you did sleep on him, in his bed, so if you wanna get technical..." A mischievous smile stretched upon your friend's lips when she saw you huff in annoyance.

    "Whatever, Maiko. You must see something I'm missing because as far as I know, there is NOTHING going on between us. He probably did it because I'm his Clansman and he's a decent human being in general."

    Maiko raised an eyebrow at you, knowing how self-depreciating or pessimistic you could get whenever a conversation included a guy you liked. You never thought you were deserving of them or that they would ever like you back. And every time it happened, she'd try to prove you wrong.

    "No, I don't think that's it."

    You gave her an "are you kidding me" expression, yet she kept going, determined to get through to you somehow.

    Her hands started making a flurry of gestures to emphasize her point, "The man, who you say is lazy as all hell, went out of his way to help you through a panic attack, let you sleep in his arms afterwards, then make you a nice breakfast the next day before walking you home. Did you forget he's saved your life twice as well?"

    She pointed her fork at the stunned you, then shoved a bite of apple pie into her mouth, "You don't do shose kindsh of zhings unlesh you really care about a person, the kind of care that leadsh to love."

    You mulled over your friend's words, cheeks still looking like ripe cherries, as she continued enjoying her slice of pie in silence, hoping she'd finally made you see sense.

    Maiko had a pretty solid argument, you had to admit. He stepped out of his comfort zone, risked his reputation of tough guy, overcame his incredible laziness all for _you_. Yet, as usual, the little naysaying voice in the back of your mind kept berating you, trying to get you to dismiss the signs as nothing more than normal interactions between a King and his female subject, no attraction whatsoever on the male's side.

    Your best friend took your silence as a good thing, grinning in triumph at the victory. If you hadn't denied her words by now, you were at the very least considering believing her spiel. She would have liked to relish it a bit more, but a reminder on her phone halted that.

    "Oh shit," Maiko exclaimed much louder than intended, the café's attention on you two again, "I forgot I had a dentist appointment at 2:00 today! Maybe if I speed, I'll get there fifteen minutes late instead of thirty. By the way, this conversation - not over."

    You laughed a little under your breath at her mad scramble to leave, stuffing the last, big bite of pie into her mouth before giving you a muffled, crumb-filled goodbye. You were surprised she made it out the door without dropping something or running into someone.

    She was a handful at times, but you loved the messy, loud girl and wouldn't trade her for the world.

    You gathered up your things, too, although much more composedly than Maiko. You still needed to pay your daily visit to HOMRA after all. Just thinking of it put a smile on your lips, adopting a happy demeanor all along the way to your sanctuary.

    The day following your episode at the bar, every one of your Clansmen let you know that you weren't alone. You had a family, albeit a dysfunctional, chaotic one, but a family nonetheless. They made sure to check up on you daily, see if you needed anything or anyone. Izumo recommended a few techniques/habits to help you cope better with the aftereffects of the trauma. He even suggested a survivor group for you to try if you wanted to. You had never experienced such acceptance or support from a group of people since your adoption.

    You raced down the streets of Shizume City on your bike, zooming past all the people, feeling giddy beyond belief. The sun shined down warm rays onto your body, there was a chance of your unrequited love being returned, and you felt full of vitality, having gotten a full night's sleep the previous night.

    'The people here must think I'm crazy,' a wild grin adorned your expression, your heart pounding in a thrilling rush as you whooshed down a steep hill, hair streamlined behind you. Neither anything or anyone could bring your high spirits down.

    'But I'd take that as a compliment.'

    It didn't take you long to reach your intended destination, having to hold yourself back from dashing into there in excitement.

    "It's about time you showed up, Y/N. We were all beginning to think you'd abandoned us for another Clan."

    You flashed Kusanagi a fake glare, used to the man's usual teasing antics by now.

    "You know you're the only blond commander for me, Izumo. How could you ever think I would betray you so cruelly?" You put a dramatic hand on your heart, feigning being offended.

    He gave you his customary amused smirk in return, handing you a tall glass of water in the process.

    You gulped down a few sips then asked, "Where's Mr. Lazy Bones at? Still sleeping away the day?" It was your new nickname for Mikoto, considering he slept the majority of the time, either in his bed or on the couch.

    You didn't wait for Kusanagi's answer, though. The couch was free at the moment, so you'd take advantage of it while you could.

    "Because I think I'm going to lay down on that couch of his. That race I just did kinda tired me out. Besides, I've had a busy day."

    You dragged your behind off the bar chair and threw yourself onto the sofa, a long sigh of bliss pushing past your lips as the cushions enveloped your body.

    Izumo shook his head and snorted through his nose, "You're going to regret that."

    You stuck your tongue out at him, determined to stay positive, "No, I will not, Mr. Pessimist. Now shoosh, this girl needs some beauty sleep."

    You were too preoccupied in bantering with the bartender that you failed to notice the King walking down the stairs towards you. You only became aware of his presence when he reached the end of them.

    Your cheeks soon became a faint tint of pink, reminded of what Maiko told you about him not fifteen minutes ago, yet you kept those peepers closed, crossing your fingers he'd leave you be on his couch.

    You should've known better than to rely on such an "accurate" method of hope. Every time you decided to try to mock or completely change fate, it always came to slap you back in the face. For only a few seconds after crossing them, strong arms lifted you straight up off of the comfy cushions, eliciting an indignant squeal from your lips.

    "Mikoto! Let me go!" you cried as he laid down on the couch himself, and instead of putting you somewhere else, the lazy human decided to take you down with him. He plopped your body back onto the sofa then proceeded to wrap his arms around your waist in a tight squeeze, a squeak escaping your mouth in response.

    You tried your hardest to wiggle out of his grasp, face growing redder by the second, but the man already had a strong hold on you, so the motion was pointless. Izumo, the heartless man, snickered out loud, the unspoken 'I-told-you-so' written in his expression, as he watched you try to kick Mikoto next, only to be stopped by the King trapping your legs by squishing them between his own.

    "Shut it, you bastard. If your annoying voice wasn't so damn loud, he probably wouldn't have come back down in the first place," you cursed at your Clansman, still trying various methods of getting the person attached to you off.

    He just laughed at you harder, despite the death glare you sent over at him now. You could feel the friggin' other smug jerk behind you smirk, taking delight in your torment as well.

    You thought your embarrassment couldn't get any worse, until the rest of HOMRA burst through the entrance of their base, yelling accompanying them.

    Totsuka and Anna noticed your predicament first, the first to come in so they could stay away from the argument, yet did nothing to help you. All they did was give each other a knowing stare after Totsuka flashed you a small smile, situating himself on a bar stool next to Anna before turning his back on you with her.

    Your bright (e/c) eyes widened in disbelief. Things weren't looking good for you if the first reaction to your situation was either one of entertainment or of indifference. Dang it, why couldn't your claircognizance warn you about something like this incident, huh?

    The others didn't see you at first, Yata's shouting still holding their attention.

    "Give my damn hat back, Kamamoto! Or I'll beat your fat ass into next Saturday!"

    Oh boy. You thought those guys learned from the last time someone stole something of Yata's. It turns out he'd only forgotten the thing in his room, though that didn't matter after he almost beat the apparent perpetrator to smithereens.

    "I swear, I didn't take it, Yata!" the heavier blond shouted back in defense, hands raised in a protective gesture.

    "He's right, you know," you called out to the guys, attention directed at you now, "he never did take it."

    Everyone shut up, turning their attention over to you. Looks varying from confusion to embarrassment to smug amusement were thrown your way as they saw you on the red couch with their King holding onto you in a tough grip, head propped up on yours.

    Bandō made to open his mouth to say something, but you interrupted him in time, "The King decided he needed a cuddle buddy to help him sleep today. So there."

    You could see the men attempting to (though not succeeding very well) keep their snickering at bay.

    "Gee, I knew you liked the Boss, but I never knew you wanted to sleep with him," Chitose's loud, obnoxious voice replied, causing the majority of the HOMRA members to break out into a fit of cackling laughter.

    You thought your blush couldn't get any worse at this point.

    "Chitose," your deathly calm tone sounded throughout the establishment, "I'd watch what I say, because I know _exactly_ who stole Yata's hat."

    The flirt froze, sheer terror written on his face, "You wouldn't dare."

    Yata glanced over at the man, eyes narrowing dangerously at Chitose.

    "You know I would..." you grinned, an evil glint in your own eyes, "unless, of course, you help me get free from Mr. Clingy over here."

    "Nope, I want to live today, thanks."

    You felt Mikoto's throat buzz in silent amusement, fueling your desire to be free. You growled in frustration, then responded in a honeyed voice, "Yata, Chitose here is the one who stole your beanie. I can sense the guilt from a mile away."

    Thus ensuring more chaos as HOMRA's third-in-charge started chasing down the thief, shouting curses into the air. At least your claircognizance served some purpose.

    "Anyone else care to lend me a hand?" You peered at the rest of your second family, desperate to freed of your utter humiliation.

    To your shock, no one offered any help, not even the ever-helpful Totsuka or the kind Fujishima. They either ignored you, gave you looks of sympathy, or just kept laughing, loudly or under their breath, the little twerps.

    "So much for "I'd do anything for my family," huh? Hm, you cowards," you pouted, cheeks still flaming like ripe red apples.

    "When I get this clingy, lazy man off of me, I assure you I will, no thanks to any of you-"

    "Shh," a long, slender finger was placed on your lips, surprising you enough to quiet you mid-rant, "you're too loud. I'm trying to sleep."

    Mikoto's arms scooted you closer to his chest then nuzzled, yeah, that's right, NUZZLED his head into your neck and fell asleep right at that precise moment.

    Your mortification could not get any worse at this point. For one, he wasn't going to let you go any time soon. Almost nothing can wake that dang Red King up once he falls asleep. And two, he was the man you were currently very attracted to, whose lips hovered centimeters from the sensitive skin of your neck. Not to mention his fit body pressed up against your own, his warm arms still around your waist. Then three, all of HOMRA had eyes on the scene.

    "I hate all of you right now," you grumbled, reminding the others of a put-out four-year-old, inciting another round of hearty guffawing to fill HOMRA's parlor.

~Three days later~

    "No, who told you?" Despite your best efforts, the whine seeped through your words.

    "You just did," Kusanagi showed you a triumphant, mischievous smile before going back to cleaning glasses.

    Today was your 22nd birthday*. You never wanted to celebrate it all that much as you got older, being that for one, it wasn't as exciting and two, it was the day after you lost your family to the house fire years ago. That's why you decided not to tell anyone about it. Low and behold, though, the smart bartender managed to wiggle it out of you, to your utter dismay.

    "Please don't tell anyone else, I'm begging you."

    "Can't make a promise I won't keep."

    You banged your forehead against the bar, groaning, "Ughhhh, whyyyy?

    Izumo replied, "Because it's fun teasing you."

    "Ughh, you jerk," you said as he went to go assist another customer on the other side of bar.

    You kept the right side of your face laying on the counter, losing the effort to sit up after the encounter, wallowing in self-pity. Of course, that didn't last, for you saw an unfamiliar guy walk up beside you, and say, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?"

    Oh no, you felt a little bad, but he chose a terrible time to hit on you and you weren't too impressed by the lack of originality of the line, either.

    "Yeah, but this time, don't stop. Keep on walking."

    The stranger appeared undeterred by your rejection, instead taking the bar stool next to you. You scooted your chair a smidgen away from him, getting an unnerving vibe emanating off of his person. Nor did you like how he took your comeback as a sign to keep up his advances.

    "I must be hunting treasure because I'm digging your chest," he remarked rather lewdly, eying you like he just found a delicious piece of meat.

    You narrowed your (e/c) gaze at the idiot, unable to comprehend how stupid he must be to hit on a woman who refused him the first time with a worse pick-up line than the last one!

    "Uhh, sir, I'm pretty sure I rejected you the first time and did _not_ give you an invitation to hit on me again with an even crappier line. Now please leave me alone," you implored him in a polite, yet brisk tone, fingers twisting the power-inhibitor bracelet in a nervous motion.

    You glanced over at Kusanagi, who was still preoccupied by another customer's order.

    'Crap.'

    "Let me buy you a drink and we'll see how you quickly you'll change that answer."

    You could not hide your distaste this time. The guy deliberately ignored anything you said to him!

    You opened up your lips again to tell him off again, when a familiar voice behind you beat you to it, "How about you buy her boyfriend one, too?"

    Part of the bar went silent, being affected by the commanding, looming presence the King emanated.

    Your cheeks blossomed a dark crimson as you felt Mikoto's arms encircle your waist for the second time this week, one of his hands slipping under your shirt to rub circles on your hip bone. Ever since the incident three days ago, every time you came in contact with Mr. Lazy-Bones, blood instantly rushed to your face. This time was no different.

    'This man is going to be the death of me,' you thought to yourself as you shot a "sorry, not sorry" look over to the oblivious stranger, maintaining your composure quite well, considering how little of it you had left with Mikoto attached to you.

    The man jumped out of his seat like it was burning, an expression conveying fear written on his face before he dashed out the doors, a smoking hole around his butt exposing his tighty whities where his jeans used to cover.

    "And people say I have anger issues," you snorted, mildly entertained by how far he went to scare the daylights of the guy.

    You turned to meet your King's amber gaze, only to find him dozing off into space instead, taking a long puff of a cigarette.

    Gathering up the courage, you waved a hand in front of his view, "Yoohoo, hello? You can let me go now, fake boyfriend."

    The soothing ministrations halted in their tracks and the hands left your person in a slow motion.

    You saw, out of the corner of your vision, what appeared to be a faint pink colouring surfacing on the skin of his own cheeks.

    'Is he- no, he'd never-. Could the King himself be...blushing?'

    You didn't get the chance to think about the implications of the act, if you were seeing things, or thank him for helping you out. For Izumo caught sight of the scene and walked back over to the both of you, telling Mikoto about today being your birthday, despite wanting to tease the heck out of you blushing fools.

    He knew how much you two liked each other. Anyone with eyes could see the mutual attraction. The romantic tension between you guys was so obvious, yet the two of you still hadn't admitted your feelings for the other and it was getting frustrating for him as well as his other Clansmen. You two would get together soon if it was the last thing the crafty bartender did. And today would be the perfect day to set things in motion.

**~Some hours later~**

    "So, how'd your date with Yata go? Good enough for a second one?" You hoped your friend would say yes. They both needed some loving and seemed compatible enough to you.

    "Duh, of course! He's adorable, not to mention how hot he is!"

    You had to giggle at that, "You're a weirdo, Maiko, you know that?"

    "You are, too, Y/N, otherwise we wouldn't get along."

    "True, true. Now why did you call me in the first place? You know this is my time to read."

    "Ughh, I knew you would forget," you heard an exasperated Maiko groan over the phone.

    "Forget what?!"

    "We had a dinner date, you loser, for your birthday."

    You gave your phone a confused expression, "Yeah, I knew that, but you said it wasn't 'till 8:00. It's only 7:00, right?"

    A short pause followed by, "It's 8:15. You're lucky your man is patient."

    "Heh, whoops. Guess it shows how much I really love celebrating my birthday. Wait, what you mean by my man?"

    Your best friend replied, ignoring your last words, "Please tell me you at least have something other than PJ's on."

    You could feel her eyes admonishing you through the wireless connection.

    "Yes, I'm all ready, actually. I finished five minutes ago. What did you by "my man", though? I have no man." Your curiosity was eating away at you at this point.

    "Aww, you'll hurt his feelings, Y/N. We all know that isn't true! Anyway, quit stalling and get your booty down here fast. I'm hungry!"

    Still confused but resigned to it at this point, you trudged down the stairs of your complex after locking your apartment door. When you reached the end of them, you noticed a dark, mysterious figure standing next to the bike rack.

    "Maiko?" Your best friend was capable of being a creep sometimes, yet you still approached the unknown (as of right now) person with caution.

    "Guess again," they responded, stepping out of the shadows to reveal their identity at last.

    You didn't need to see the person, however, to know who it was waiting for you. Not Maiko, but the man of the day: the infamous Mr. Mikoto Suoh.

    "Wow, I must say I'm impressed," you said as you walked closer, "I'm guessing Maiko isn't anywhere near here, right?"

    His thin lips curled up in a pleased smirk, "Nope."

    You shook your head in amazement. That girl never failed to surprise you.

    "So..." you drawled out after a few seconds of silence, thankful the night concealed your bashfulness, "what ya planning on doing with me now that you have me?"

    "I'm taking you for a ride."

    He snatched up one of your hands in a quick motion, then guided you over to the parking lot, where you assumed your "ride" would be.

    You scanned the lot for any new vehicles as your King dragged you along, eyes widening in delight when you caught sight of the ruby-red hot rod Mikoto appeared to be walking towards.

    "No. flipping. way."

    You remembered telling Maiko a few months ago about someday wanting to go for a ride on a cool motorcycle clinging to a sexy bad boy type, speeding through city streets, the wind in your hair, heart pumping with adrenaline. You had mentioned it to her because she was wondering what kind of cliché moment you'd want to have as a date.

    You were in such a daze that you didn't even realize he'd let go of you until you felt a helmet being placed over your head.

    "Safety first," you heard him say as he buckled its strap under your chin, handing you an awesome biker black leather jacket afterwards.

    You gaped at Mikoto in amazement, "I-is this, for me?"

    His grin widened, "Of course, birthday girl."

    You could hardly contain your excitement, much less your blush, at this point, putting on the apparel in haste as the redhead threw himself over the seat and started up the cycle.

    You weren't too much of an adrenaline junkie, but the growl that emanated from its engine sure sent a pleasant chill down your spine.

    "Get on, Y/N. We don't have all night."

    Without further delay, you hopped onto the rumbling hot rod, enjoying the feel of the rhythmic vibration beneath you. Thank goodness you wore the skinny jeans instead of the dress today.

    The King rolled his eyes at your daydreaming, grabbing both of your hands this time (since they weren't moving themselves fast enough) and guided them around his middle.

    All the blood in your body seemed to rush to your face at that action. You were going on a motorcycle ride with your "bad boy" crush on your birthday. Could this day get any better?

    "Hold on tight."

    So you started your wild journey through the narrow, bustling streets of Shizume City, Mikoto reaching heart racing speeds, weaving in between cars, and popping wheelies to make you squeal or tighten your grip (something that made HIS heart beat even faster).

    Eventually, the pair of you made your way out of the city and drove up a mountain, where you stopped at a lookout that gave a wonderful, sparkling view of the ocean. You took a few to catch your breath, after which you started a light, refreshing conversation with your Clansman, the beautiful scenery at your backs. Of course, you did most of the talking, but it was enjoyable all the same, relaxing.

    You sipped on the hot cider Mikoto brought along for you, drinking in the peace of the situation in silence for a while. However, it didn't last long, for a few nagging questions lingered in your brain. One, how on earth did he get a motorcycle? And two, was this a little bit of a date? I mean, Maiko referred to him as "your man" when she called you, implying the occasion was more than two friends having a blast together.

    "Hey, Mr. Lazy Bones?"

    "Hmm?"

    "Where'd you get the snazzy ride?"

    He snorted, "Who do you think?"

    "Kusanagi, figures. That man knows how to get things done."

    "Mikoto?" you asked again, in a more quiet, unsure tone, nervously shifting your feet.

    He seemed to notice the change in your demeanor, turning to face you more, "Yes?"

    You twiddled your thumbs, breaking his amber gaze for a second before finding an ounce of courage within yourself, "W-would you consider what we were doing a-a kind of date?"

    You were certain blood rushed to his own cheeks this time, albeit faintly.

    "...Yes, if you want it to, that is."

    "Yes, I do," you replied, initiating the hand holding for a change, gathering up enough pluck once more to give a feathery kiss on his cheek bone.

    "Thank you, Mikoto. I-I hope we can go on more in the future."

    A faint, genuine smile lit up his masculine features and he pulled you closer, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead in return, "I do, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I'm sorry if your birthday isn't in the later months of the year, but for the sake of the story, it is.


	8. First Kiss

**A few months after your first date:  
**  
    “Miko,” your groggy voice pierced the early morning silence.

    “What, Y/N/N?” he groaned into your mess of hair.

    “I can barely breathe,” you gasped, patting his hands in an effort to get him to loosen his hold.

    “Oh, sorry.” The King's arms let loose the tension they'd acquired in his sleep.

    “You had another nightmare, didn't you?” You twisted yourself around in his embrace to face him. He always held you tighter whenever he had one.

    “Mmm,” he hummed as you reached up and brushed aside one of the two stray strands of his hair back in a delicate, reassuring touch.

    You wiggled your body upwards, causing Mikoto to moan again as you kept bouncing the bed, “Y/N...”

    “Shh,” you responded before giving him a small, sweet peck on the nose, your own little way of reassuring your new boyfriend that everything was alright now. You never forced him to tell you about them. All that mattered was that you helped him shake it off.

    The man wrinkled it up then peeked open his eyes to see you giving him a big, child-like grin. How could one person be so cute yet so feisty?

    “Now, you gotta let me go for like two minutes. I'm _really_  thirsty and I want water.”

    You tried to pry yourself from Mikoto's strong grasp, but he would not let go.

    “Mikoto,” you whined in his ear, “pretty please.” You pouted up at him, turning up the cute factor exponentially.

    “You can wait.” He wanted to see how you would react to his rejection (not to mention he just liked cuddling you as much as possible), and he was not disappointed.

    Your bleary eyes widened in disbelief, then you playfully swat one of his arms in chastisement, “You're so mean. I think you enjoy teasing me TOO much.”

    Mikoto only gave you that normal lazy smirk of his before pulling you in closer to his person. You almost resigned yourself to the fact that you wouldn't have that glass of water any time soon until...a devious idea dawned upon you.

    Finding a drop of brazen bravery within yourself, you discreetly slithered your hands underneath his white shirt and danced your fingers up his side in a feathery motion, testing your theory. It was soon confirmed when the ever-impassive King squirmed beneath your touch, then glared a warning at you, cheeks starting to warm up a fraction.

    That action only succeeded in encouraging your attack even more, a giggle bubbling out of your lips when you saw his mad scramble to remove your fingers out from underneath his shirt. Who would've guessed the Third King, the one with the most violent temper and most infamous reputation, would be ticklish? Oh, the things you could do...

    He tried to scoot farther out of your mischievous reach, though he couldn't do it without falling out of the bed or pushing you off, neither of which he wanted to do. Meanwhile, your tickling increased tenfold, fingers going up and down on his sides at a rapid pace, causing a strange, unfamiliar noise to escape your boyfriend's lips unexpectedly: a laugh. Albeit a small, almost indiscernible one, but a laugh nonetheless.

    It incited you to snigger more at the man, “My boyfriend, the almighty Red King, is _ticklish_?! How adorable!”

    Oh, you'd never let him live it down.

    After a few more seconds of the silly torture, Mikoto managed to catch your slippery hands and yank them out of his shirt in one fast motion, pinning them up above your head in a vice-like hold while hovering over your person. That sure quieted you up in a hurry. You didn't bother struggling, either.

    His hot breath fanned against the exposed shell of your ear as he leaned down closer to you, chests almost touching. He had you trapped.

    You held your breath, your body frozen in anticipation.

    “I think someone needs to be punished for their bad behavior,” he whispered in a breathless, husky voice, sending a shiver travelling down your spine.

    The redhead maneuvered both of your hands into the grip of his left one, shoved the other up YOUR shirt, and proceeded to give you a taste of your own medicine.

    “Miko!” you screeched, writhing underneath him like a fish out of a water, “S-stop it! M-mercy!”

    He didn't stop, though (what a shocker). He continued on with his retribution, determined to make you pay (and laugh _much_ more).

    “P-please! I-I promise I won't tell anyone your secret! You're k-killin' me h-here!” you pleaded, breaths coming in heaves.

    Satisfied by your promise, Mikoto took his tickling hand away from your abdomen then rested his forehead up against your own, eyes closed, tired out by the recent events.

    Your face flushed slightly in response, but you both settled down after that, enjoying the peace which followed. The soft sounds of your combined breathing were the only things permeating the silence.

    You stayed in this position for a few more seconds, loving the moment you were having. Both your heart rates slowed until they began beating in sync, neither of you gasping for air any longer, revelling in the love surrounding you two. However, you had to break it up sooner or later, because Mikoto's arms couldn't hold him up forever.

    Realizing this as his muscles began to tremble, he gave into your original request as he plopped himself back at your side, “You can go get your glass of water now.”

    You unfroze yourself at his words, dashing out the door before your King changed his mind, while also eager to hurry back to the warmth of his comfy bed.

    You took the steps as fast as you could without making too much noise, rushing to the faucet downstairs and grabbing a glass from the bar. You filled it up halfway then started drinking a few sips.

    “You having fun up there, Queen?”

    You sprayed out your current mouthful, choking on the remaining drops, those cheeks of yours flaming up again.

    “Kusanagi!” you cried out in admonishment, “Don't say things like that!”

    He cruelly chortled at your embarrassment as you continued spluttering out words at him, “And I thought I told you not to call me Queen! The only thing I'm "queen" of is clumsiness and over-thinking, much less HOMRA.”

    “Well, you have been dating the King for a few months. If anyone should have the title, it'd be you, _Queen_ Y/N,” he shot you a devious grin after heading over to the counter to clean some more glasses.

    You glowered at your Clansman, “You're just as bad as Maiko or Chitose when it comes to teasing me, you jerk.”

    “And for your information,” you sniffed, “I did have fun. Now, I'm going back to Mikoto's room, where I'll be sleeping and actively ignoring you.”

    You made a point of looking to see if he was watching you before stomping back up to Mikoto's room, a smirk stretching your lips. Izumo shook his head at your receding figure in amusement. Your sassy, talkative personality sure balanced out the King's impassive, lazy attitude well.

**~~A couple hours later~~**

    “What in all fudging hell is going on down there?” You awoke once more with a groan, the (unfortunately) familiar sounds of yelling disturbing your slumber.

    “It's not important,” your still-sleepy boyfriend grumbled, knowing you'd want to get up and intervene, “just let 'em fight it out.”

    “No, I won't,” you responded, being your ever-stubborn self.

    “This is the third time this week they've fought. It needs to stop, NOW. Besides,” you continued after taking a glance at the clock, “I have a shift at the soup kitchen in about twenty minutes. I need to get up anyway.”

    You tossed your legs over the edge of the warm bed, a scowl overtaking your expression. Mikoto let you go in an instant, knowing nothing would stop you from going once your mind was made up (although less than pleased at your leaving him alone for the second time that day).

    You threw the bedroom door open without slamming it, marched down the stairs and over to where the argument was happening.

    Let's say you were less than surprised to find Bandō screaming obscenities at Shōhei, your newest recruit. You knew of the feelings of inferiority Bandō had when hanging around Shōhei, but jeez, they could stand to settle down once in a while.

    The rest of HOMRA cleared out of your way in a hurry, sensing your scary aura. They knew to stay out of your way when you reprimanded a fellow Clansman.

    You grabbed the nearest magazine on the trek there, before smacking both of the idiots upside the head with a loud _whack!_

    “Hey!” they simultaneously exclaimed at you, rubbing the back of their scalps.

    You raised your eyebrows at them in an incredulous look, “What?! Don't you "hey" me, you two! This stupid fighting has gone on long enough.”

    That sure shut up them up fast.

    You pinched your nose in exasperation, “Anyone care to tell me what this one is about?”

    Bandō spoke up first, “Shōhei tried to hit on a girl I clearly called dibs on first!”

    Shōhei glared at him, “No! I know I saw her before-”

    “Shut it!” you demanded, “It doesn't matter who saw her first because one, she's long gone, and two, you guys are friends! _No_ one should come between you, much less a girl.”

    “Now, I want you both to apologize, _sincerely_ , then everyone can carry on with the rest of their day.”

    “But-”

    You gave Bandō a harsh glare, cutting him off. He huffed in annoyance, yet apologized to his long-time friend, who in turn apologized to him. They realized how ridiculous it all was when you spelled it out to them.

    “See, I knew you were our Queen, Y/N, making us settle our disputes,” Totsuka's gentle tone sounded after the exchange.

    “Tatara! Not you, too!” you complained, flushing in embarrassment.

    Every one of the HOMRA members had wanted you and their King to get together. Like Izumo said, the romantic tension was killing them as well. Many of them could see the potential for a lasting, fulfilling relationship between you both. So now that you were finally together, a few took every chance to tease you about it (mainly Tatara, Kusanagi, and Chitose), the fact that you hadn't kissed the man or how you could be considered their Queen being their favorite topics.

    “We can't call her Queen too much, though. We all know they haven't quite sealed the deal yet.”

    Of course Chitose had to chime in.

    “How do you know that, Mr. Smarty Pants?” you shot back, getting some pluck back, “We could've already done it and you wouldn't know. Why would we want to kiss in front of a bunch of nosy creeps just to prove we have "sealed the deal?"”

    “Ooh, your defensiveness says otherwise, Y/N,” Kusanagi replied in a sing-song voice.

    You banged your forehead against a wall near your person a few times, mortified beyond belief, “Ughh, you all are like the annoying brothers I never wanted to have.”

    They laughed at that.

    “If we're _all_ your annoying brothers, does that mean you're technically dating your own sibling?”

    “Stop it! You know that's not what I meant, you guys!” you cried out over the continuous guffawing.

    You raised your arms up in surrender, backing away towards the exit, “You know what? I don't have time for this. You are being mean to me and I have to leave or I'll be late for my shift, so goodbye, you losers.”

    You almost succeeded in leaving without being stopped, but Kusanagi interrupted in time, “Are you sure you don't want any of us to come with you? Just to keep you company?”

    Your Clansmen always made sure you had someone to watch over you ever since the incident at the swim shop. They were protective over you and didn't want to see you get hurt or triggered again, especially considering the awful things you went through in that abandoned warehouse. You understood where they came from, why they did it; however, it got on your nerves sometimes. You loved spending time with others, but the constant attention could encroach on your personal alone time now and then.

    “No, I'll be good,” you dismissed in an instant, “I'm a strong, independent young woman who can handle herself, thank you very much.” You stuck your tongue out at him for good measure, still feeling a bit spicy at the moment.

    “Strong independent young woman who still sticks her tongue out at others and pouts like a two-year-old,” you heard someone say behind you as you left the premises.

    You threw a "I hate you all" glare back at them before strutting down the sidewalk towards the soup kitchen.

    You stopped for a moment, flipping out a pocket mirror, checking if you looked presentable enough. You did (surprise surprise), despite having slept in your clothes and shoes last night because you were so exhausted.

    You didn't always sleep over at HOMRA, but the debilitating nightmares started making a comeback this week, so you decided to sleep in Mikoto's comforting embrace that night.

    Nothing out of the normal happened as you continued your way to your workplace, just as you thought...until you got within two blocks of it. Some random person shoulder checked you hard, not even stopping to apologize. You wanted to call the person out, but thought better of it, realizing it wasn't worth making a scene about. In your daze, however, you failed to notice that the bracelet which inhibited your Strain power was no longer on your wrist.

    Once within a block of the soup kitchen, you took a peek at your wristwatch, finding you had seven minutes left until your shift started.

    ‘Crap,’ you thought to yourself. Walking your current route would take you at least _ten_ minutes.

    That made you make the split second decision to take the shortcut when you came to it, desperately not wanting to be late (a decision you regretted later on).

    Your ears picked up the faint whimper of crying as you turned another corner. You pushed down the sinking feeling you had in your gut as you walked through a damp, dark alleyway on your way there, determined to get to your destination in time, hoping your hearing was just playing tricks on you. The crying only got louder, though, as you pressed on, until you came face to face with the person whose sobbing reached your ears.

    The distraught woman was lying on the ground, dress in tatters, shaking like a leaf as a man towered over her small figure, blood dripping off his clenched knuckles. You wondered why no one else had come across the scene, then realized you were much farther into the slums of the city than you originally thought, noticing the rusted NO TRESPASSING sign looming over your head.

    You were lost, and now in real danger, because your body froze at the eerily familiar sight, the image of Rino permeating your mind. You really should've taken up Izumo's offer of having someone come with you.

    You saw the perpetrator raise his fist up in a motion to hit the girl and you lost all sense of control. The distinct snap of a chain breaking above you caught your attention before a large metal safe came crashing down straight onto the man, effectively crushing him beneath it.

   His skull was completely smashed in, the crimson blood leaking out from his cracked skull.

    A blood-curdling scream shook you out of your horrified stupor, turning your gaze to the victim. Her figure shook, then her red eyes caught sight of you in her peripheral vision, fear radiating in her stare. The woman seemed to receive a revelation, for she backed farther into the corner of the alleyway in an effort to put some distance between you.

    She pointed a shaky, accusatory finger at you, “Y-you did that, didn't you?”

    You reached for your bracelet in a nervous motion, to find that you no longer had it. Your heart stopped. She could very well be telling the truth.

    “I-I don't know how, b-but you did it! You k-killed him!” she shrieked at you, causing you to step back in shock, the word "kill" repeating over and over in your brain.

    In a fit of terror, you took off in a sprint, the woman's screams of murderer bouncing off the concrete walls.

    You had no destination in mind; you only needed to escape the horrific wails and the pooling blood.

    When you finally ran out of breath, you found yourself panting outside your favorite bar: HOMRA, the one place you did not want to go to. Some of the members noticed how pale and frantic your expression was, so they rushed outside to your aid.

    Kusanagi placed a hand on your shoulder, removing it when you jerked away, “Y/N, what happened? What's the matter?”

    His questioning fell on deaf ears.

    “I need you to l-let them take me in. D-don't fight them, please,” you rambled, sounding like you'd gone insane. You knew Scepter 4 would come for you, and you didn't want your family to get hurt fighting them.

    “Y/N, what on earth are you babbling about? Let's get you insi-”

    You shook your head furiously, “No, no. I need you to keep Mikoto from-” you licked your lips in nervousness, “from coming after me. I-I deserve to be locked up. O-oh, if you could see the blood, the blood-”

    You were so caught up in your mad state that you failed to see your King step out of the bar, walking out towards you at a hurried pace.

    “What happened, Y/N?!”

    “He-he's dead. I-I-” You got cut off by someone grabbing your arms and making you face them.

    Your heart dropped to your stomach when you saw it was Mikoto, “N-no. You can't b-be here. They're c-coming.” A stray tear trickled down your cheek as he took your face in his hands in an effort to get you centered.

    “Y/N, look at me,” your boyfriend commanded in a low, unthreatening tone.

    You almost gave in, but you saw a certain Blue King marching towards your position in the distance, then started going into another frenzied panic.

    “M-Mikoto, th-the screams, the blood. You n-need to let me-” You tried to pry yourself away from him, digging your fingernails into his skin in an effort to do so.

    The Red King realized there was no reasoning or calming you down with words or caresses at this point, so he did the next best thing that he could think of. He hated himself for choosing this moment to do so, but he was desperate. You could hurt yourself if you kept continuing on like this.

    He threaded his fingers into the (h/l) (h/c) above your ears for a better grip then guided you forward until your trembling lips met his own firm ones, catching a taste of your cherry chapstick as he did so.

    Your racing thoughts instantly quieted up, your eyes bugging out of their sockets at the sudden feel of the foreign touch of his mouth on yours. You caught a whiff of the familiar scent of smoke and your mind became a blank slate as you began to focus on his fervid lips melding into your flaccid ones. You fisted his soft white t-shirt and pulled him closer to you, your skewed emotional state making you as desperate as him, reciprocating his actions. It most certainly was not the way either of you expected to have your very first kiss.

    His thumbs rubbed circles on your cheekbones as more tears leaked from your eyes and he felt Kusanagi tap on his back, causing him to reluctantly remove himself from you, aware of who was coming your way.

    He turned around to meet the hard stare of Reisi Munakata, pressing you into his side in order to give you some sense of protection.

    “We are here to arrest Y/N L/N on suspicion of murder of Hotaru Kumori. I suggest that you do not interfere.” The cold, demanding voice left no room for debate or bargain.

    You sensed the anger boiling up in Mikoto's body, knowing he'd start something soon and it wouldn't be pretty. So while he was distracted by the other man, you managed to free yourself and walk over to the captain, holding out your hands to be cuffed.

    Seri Awashima clicked the restraining device onto your wrists, a grim expression written into her features.

    “Y/N...” Kusanagi murmured, shocked by your willingness to turn yourself in.

    “Please don't fight them, guys,” you pleaded, looking especially at your boyfriend, “I'm not worth it and I deserve whatever's coming to me.”

    “Mikoto,” you added, “I want you to tell Anna I-I said goodbye and tell her I-I'm sorry I never got to see that pretty swimsuit on her.”

    You had no idea how much those words broke your family's hearts.

    You blew a teary kiss over to Mikoto then turned back to the commander, who took you in her grip and escorted you to the cold prison cell that awaited you, the sensation of his warm lips still lingering on yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot twist~! I apologize if this one bounced around a bit, I just needed to pick up the pace of the story. There WILL be another part after this, I wouldn't be so cruel as to leave you guys off with such a cliffhanger (I'm not Rick Riordan after all!) . We'll have to find out if the reader really is responsible for the murder or if someone set her up, as well as who stole her power inhibitor *coughGreenClancough*. And don't forget, we gotta see what HOMRA will do to save their Queen...


	9. Chapter Nine: Protector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bunch of things have happened since I last saw all of you, but that's no excuse for me updating this writing series almost two freakin' years later. I'm lazy as all heck and I'm working on that. And I want to offer my sincerest apologies for putting you all through the too-long wait. But that doesn't matter anymore. I just want to say to all of my lovely readers, particularly the ones that have waited almost two years for this next part, thank you so much for your patience and for your support of this x Reader fic❤! You guys are all such lovely people and you deserve a better author-chan in the future. You all have kept me going with your likes and your comments, and I can't ever express how much it means to me that you all took the time to read my first fanfiction. This one is for all of you. I hope it's up to snuff and satisfies some of that thirst for Mikoto Suoh x Reader action.

   'Drip, drip, drip,' the monotonous, persistent sound of water dropping onto the floor of your cell perforated your hearing, the only noise that your ears had heard for a solid week.

    You'd think such a high-tech facility would have a handle on the leaks, but apparently, that wasn't the case here.

    You brought your sweater in closer to your figure, your loose shackles allowing you to do so (they knew you wouldn't attempt an escape in your current condition), trying to retain some semblance of heat in the frigid temperature of the room. You had a few blankets, courtesy of the Blue King. However, they provided very little coverage and were made of thin material. So in order to keep your thoughts not focused on your less than desirable quarters, your mind drifted to your happy place, where your happiest memories were kept.

    You remembered the last day your birth father gave you a hug. It was a warm, sunny day in July. Your dad was sweaty, but he still smelled like the sickeningly sweet candy he worked with every day at his treat shop. A small smile pulled at your mouth.

    You recalled the day Maiko became your friend. You'd been in your favorite bookstore and there was only one copy left of the book you wanted. You both reached for it at the same time. However, you realized you could just check it out at the library, so you let her take it. But she decided to strike up a conversation with you, considering your shared love for the same series. Thus your close friendship was born. The corners of your shining (e/c) eyes crinkled in mirth thinking of it.

    You then thought of the time Tatara taught you how to make different shapes with your Aura, specifically butterflies. After all, you wanted to know how to use your other power for something other than fighting. The beaming smile of pride he gave you when you succeeded warmed your heart, even to this day.

    One other memory sprang to mind, albeit a bittersweet one: your first kiss. It was rushed, impulsive, but man, oh so sweet. Mikoto might be lazy in many other aspects of his life; kissing certainly wasn't one of them. His caring nature shined through in the way he caressed your face with such gentleness as your mouths danced in tandem (once realization had dawned upon you, that is). Your lips tingled in remembrance, your fingers brushing along their chapped surface. You only wished that kiss could have lasted longer.

    Alas, life had different plans for you. You were reminded of these "plans" when you heard the distinct squeal of your prison door being opened and one of Scepter 4's members stepped through it, forcing your attention back to cold, harsh reality.

    Lieutenant Awashima followed after, the same hard, placid look on her face as she stepped closer to your huddled, shivering figure.

    You felt as if you deserved the miserableness of the cold. After all, you had murdered someone. Every punishment you received from here on out would be justice for your crime, especially the punishments you inflicted on yourself.

    "Come," the Lieutenant commanded, the first time anyone had spoken to you in a week, "the Captain wishes to speak with you now."

    You gave no argument or witty reply in response, not finding any strength or effort to do so. You heaved yourself upward, head held high, despite how much you wanted to let it hang. You refused to give up your last sense of dignity in front of the Blue Clansmen. You managed to drag your body over to where they waited and stepped out of the cage.

    The subordinate took his place behind you while Awashima stood in front of you. She cast a glance over her shoulder at you, giving you an unspoken order to follow. Then she began walking off in the direction of Munakata's office.

    You ignored the stares you received from some of the other members, keeping your own stare forward and your back straight in silent defiance. You would never give them the satisfaction of seeing you break completely, no matter how broken you felt in reality.

    After weaving through the various halls of Scepter 4's headquarters for a few minutes, you finally reached your intended destination: the Blue King's main suite. Two Clansmen opened up the heavy doors, revealing the familiar, spacious room.

    Your eyes scanned expansive space, noticing another person near Munakata. You didn't even need claircognizance to know it was Saruhiko Fushimi a.k.a. Monkey, the name you knew him better as. A rise of irritation arose within you at the sight of him as Awashima escorted you to the chair in front of her King's desk. You knew of Yata's history with Fushimi, how most of their interactions consisted of Fushimi taunting Yata into a brawl. Let's just say you didn't take too well to people who hurt or made fun of your family.

    You had to resist scowling when you sat down in the chair and Munakata dismissed the Clansman lingering at your back, "You may leave, Akiyama."

    In your peripheral vision, you saw the said person bow then exit, closing you in with the Blue Clan's three most powerful people.

    'Well, great, even if I wanted to escape, it'd be almost impossible.'

    The Captain leaned forward, steepling his fingers, "I know you're aware of the charge against you and are prepared to accept the consequences, correct?"

    "I  _did_  hand myself over without a fight, so I should  _think_  that I am," you replied in a sharp, bitter tone, avoiding all eye contact and itching your palms.

    You heard an annoyed "tch" come from Fushimi. Another wave of irritation bubbled up inside you at the noise, inciting you to shoot a glare over at the man with burning eyes.

    You might be resigned to your imprisonment, but that didn't mean you'd let yourself get mocked or ridiculed.

    "I'm surprised you haven't attempted an escape yet, Ms. L/N," Munakata spoke up once more, refusing to respond to your remark, "You never struck me as the type who'd give up so readily."

    Your attention snapped back to the King, gaze narrowing in displeasure.

    You kept your words as formal as possible this time, "I know when to fight and when to surrender  _most_  of the time, sir."

    "Mmm, interesting... Now, if I could have you describe all the events that led up to the murder, I would be most appreciative."

    You gave no argument and proceeded to explain, deciding to leave out the details of your tickling session (you wouldn't betray Mikoto like that).

    When you got to the part where you had to describe the death, your words began to tremble and you barely managed to finish your story. Your palms hurt so much, on the verge of bleeding from how much scratching you did. You were reverting back to when you were twelve years old, back before you got adopted and you got bullied for the scars of your hands, your poor self-esteem and your grief controlling your entire life...

    Suddenly, you felt a hard grip on one of your wrists, halting the motion in its tracks. You peered up at the Lieutenant, who frowned at you in disapproval. But you thought you saw a glint of sympathy in her reserved blue eyes before you broke her gaze and turned back to Munakata.

    "Hmm... Are you certain you left the bar with the suppressor on you?"

    You gave a fervent shake of your head, "I never forget it, ever. I didn't want to hurt anyone else  _or_  end up back here. Looks like neither of those plans worked out, though, did they?"

    "I see," he ruminated, "Did you notice any identifying features of this person who bumped into you?"

    You almost answered with a no but refrained when a shimmer of a memory dawned on you.

    "They had some kind of dark helmet on like they were about to go get their motorcycle or something. I think it had a tinge of green on it, too," the words tumbled out of your mouth, causing you to shake your head in confusion. You hadn't gotten much of a look at the stranger, yet you remembered that he'd been wearing a green-tinged helmet?!

    The King exchanged pointed glances with his Clansmen, then met your (e/c) gaze, an almost knowing look gleaming in his own.

    "I had a feeling that was the case, but I needed confirmation from you."

    Your confusion increased tenfold. What in the world was he talking about? 

   "What do you mean, you "had a feeling?" Is there something I'm missing here?"

    "Uugh, so stupid," you heard Fushimi groan in annoyance at your apparent ignorance. Jeez, this guy sure knew how to get on your nerves.

    Munakata continued, "You jumped to conclusions, Miss, when you assumed you were the responsible party for the murder. You never thought for a moment that someone set you up."

    Your heart seemed to stop its beating for a moment. This could NOT be happening, no freaking way...

    "We checked the chain the safe had been attached to soon after arresting you and found evidence of highly corrosive material on its snapping point. As of right now, it is being subjected to testing and the location of the original seller is being tracked as we speak."

    No words could describe how betrayed and sick to your stomach you felt as you processed the King's words, an urge to simultaneously punch something and cry coming over you.

    They had discovered the set-up, had a reasonable suspicion that you were not the party responsible for the death of Hotaru Kumori. Yet, they decided to leave you alone, wracked with guilt, in a damp cell away from your family for a  _week_. You never did anything to harm or hurt the Blue Clan! Hell, you always cooperated with and even retained a certain respect for them! But despite all those valid reasons to let you go, they decided to keep you locked up. Something more was going on and you needed to find out what.

**~MEANWHILE AT HOMRA~**

    The crunch of a body slamming against a brick wall, bones breaking into pieces, echoed through the back alleyway into the ears of Kusanagi. The commander's frown and worry increased as the drug dealer continued to get pummeled by his King.

    Mikoto was always known for his short fuse and lazy attitude, but you tempered him out. You made him get out into the world more often with the dates you two went on, no matter how much resistance he tried to give you. You wouldn't take no for an answer, sometimes even resorting to half-dragging him out of the bar once you got him to hold your hand. You even got the man to talk more, engage more with others.

    Without you, however, things took a turn for the worse. His temper became shorter than before, his anger threshold smaller, his inhibitions almost completely gone, and his wake hours dwindling day by day. All the other Clansmen could do was attempt to keep him from starting a war with the Blue King or on a larger scale, HOMRA versus Scepter 4. If they didn't succeed, all of Shizume City might be in danger.

    The low life had been dealing dirty drugs to teenagers for hefty prices while also handing out candy filled with the narcotics to unsuspecting children, putting many of them in the hospital. His major mistake was that he'd tried to give Anna one of these "treats" as well. He had the audacity (more like stupidity) to do it on HOMRA's turf, too, so he wasn't undeserving of the beating at all. But the way Mikoto pounded on the man was crueler than in the previous encounters. In the past, he would've already burned him to ashes and left it at that. Today, however, he seemed determined to break every bone and crush every organ, torturing the drug dealer with a slow, agonizing death.

    After bearing the sights and sounds of the beating for a few more long seconds, Kusanagi took upon himself to end the man's suffering and burnt the perpetrator until nothing of him remained except a few particles of ash and dust.

    Mikoto paid no mind to his Clansman's actions, proceeding to walk away from the scene like nothing ever happened. He wiped the drops of blood littered all across his impassive expression with the back of his arm sleeve. He didn't even bother to look at Kusanagi as he walked past him, a brief but striking flash of pain emanating in his amber eyes. Then, before one could blink an eye, he composed himself again and left for HOMRA without checking to see if his companion followed behind.

    The trip back was filled with a palpable tension that had seemed to grow over the passing week between the two, coinciding with the length of your imprisonment. Izumo itched with the urge to tell his King off and warn him of the dangers of his behavior in the moments it took to walk back. However, he knew any words of reproachment would go in one ear and out the other. Mikoto had that stubborn attitude ever since his younger years, and it always grew worse when his anger peaked. He wouldn't listen to  _anything_  Izumo had to say right now.

    While the commander got lost in his thoughts, two other Clan members joined them. Anna and Tatara had stayed back at Izumo's insistence, then caught up to the other two when Mikoto finished. Tatara held onto the girl's hand, but let her leave when she released herself to grab onto Mikoto's sleeve. However, this wasn't enough to catch her Clansman's attention; so Anna gave a little tug on it to get him out of his headspace.

    Mikoto wanted to ignore her, but Anna never got his attention unless it was something important. He looked down at Anna's small frame, waiting for her to speak.

    "Y/N is in danger."

    The whole group halted in their tracks at her ominous statement.

    Mikoto looked back at Izumo, finally meeting his gaze. No words needed to be spoken for the commander to understand what his King wanted. All of the Red Clan needed to assemble, for they were going on a rescue mission for their beloved Queen in Blue territory.

**~BACK AT SCEPTER 4~**

    "Why am I still here then? Why do you need me here of all people?" Your hand scrunched up into a fist to prevent yourself from screaming.

    "I see no harm in telling you now." Munakata leaned back in his chair then continued.

    "Suoh values you, therefore you have value to me. You make him as well as his men vulnerable. A vulnerable Clan is easier to manage than an intact one."

    You couldn't believe your ears. The Blue King wanted to use you as a pawn to help control your family. He tended to avoid physical means of keeping them in line (if possible), so he instead would use psychological, more manipulative means to do so.

    "How could you?"

    He smirked. "Quite easily, Ms. L/N. The Red Clan has been a pain in my side for quite a while. Therefore, I will utilize every asset I can to lessen that pain."

    Your mind froze and time seemed to stop. You forgot your surroundings, falling into a self-induced daze. You couldn't believe it. You had been used. Reisi Munakata planned on "utilizing" you to help keep your family in line. Again, your family would get hurt because of you.

    You were too caught up in this daze to realize someone had started yelling your name. Before you could recover your faculties enough to respond, you felt a hand pull you back and a sharp sting across your cheek.

    "Ms. L/N!" Lieutenant Awashima shouted, finally gaining your attention. Her hand was the one that pulled you back.

    "What's happening?!" you managed to spit out, despite the shock.

    No one got to answer your question as the sound of windows shattering and the feeling of ground quaking interrupted. In the background, you picked up the sound of shouting outside.

    "Fushimi, check on the other Clansmen and see if they require assistance, then escort Ms. L/N back to her cell. Lieutenant, locate the source of that explosion and incapacitate any hostiles," the Blue King ordered in a calm manner, sword in a defensive position to deflect any other bullets.

    Fushimi sighed, but got up and yanked your body up in a timely manner. One would think you would at least give a quip of indignation, but you were in too much shock to give any sort of protest. Someone  _had_  just tried to kill you.

    "Sir, what will you do?" Awashima questioned.

    "I will pursue the shooters responsible and capture them for questioning. Now go." The words brooked no room for questioning as Munakata stepped through the broken window in pursuit.

    With not a single moment to lose, Fushimi guided you back to the doors of the office with Awashima close behind. Once the two of you stepped through the doorway, Fushimi hustled down the hallways of Scepter Four's headquarters with you in tow. You may as well just been a limp doll from the way you just let him lead you around.

    Once you three reached the main control room, you stopped and entered the room to find nothing out of place. No equipment destroyed, no Clansmen injured. That didn't last for long, though. For the next moment, the familiar, sharp sound of a window shattering permeated your eardrums, followed by the stench of smoke as the room began to cloud over with the grey substance.

    Everyone in the room became slightly startled at the suddenness of the smoke bomb and started coughing, including Fushimi. This time, instead of going into shock, your brain went into hyperdrive. You saw this as your chance to get the hell out of this place, holding your breath the moment the smoke got to your position. You then slammed down your foot on your captor's, who consequently let you go while shouting a cry of pain.

    You made a run for the nearest window, Fushimi in hot pursuit. A little voice in the back of your mind told you to be worried about the attackers, but you had more important things to worry about. You threw yourself through one of the windows, feeling the broken shards of glass tear at your clothes. A part of you wanted to say "See you later, losers!", though you refrained since you needed to focus on escaping.

    You landed on the brick courtyard hard, causing pain to shoot up your shoulder. Yet, you could not dwell on it, since danger still loomed close by. The shooters remained at large and Munakata was still in the area as far as you knew.

    You quickly hauled yourself up on to your feet, albeit awkwardly since your hands still had the cuffs on them.

    Your feet then made a dash to the gates, intent on distancing yourself from the fuming Fushimi before he used his Aura to get you back. You almost made it to your destination before another shot rang out, aimed straight for your head. Fortunately, thanks to your claircognizance and enhanced reflexes from your Red Clansman status, you dodged the bullet just in the nick of time. Still, this action sent you falling on your knees because of your handcuffed hands creating an imbalance.

    Your left foot caught on a crack in the brick as you fell, sending a fierce burst of pain up your leg. You looked down to see the foot at an odd, unnatural angle. An urge to throw up at the sight almost overcame you, but you kept it in.

    'Shit,' you mentally cursed.

    You were now a sitting duck for whoever wanted to harm or capture you. It's not like you could use your Aura with the inhibiting shackles.

    You saw Fushimi getting closer in your peripheral vision, not to mention a freakin' GREEN LIGHTNING BOLT heading your way. You tried your hardest to shimmy your way to the gate, but your injury combined with your bound hands made it very difficult. No way, no how you would get away from either threat at this point. You stopped the excruciating crawling and closed your eyes, bracing yourself for impact.

    A booming crash resounded next to you. Yet you kept your eyes closed, fearing whoever created the noise would hit you next. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Nothing. No impact. No pain. All you felt was the grittiness of the pavement irritating your skin and the pinch of the handcuffs on your wrists.

    All of the sudden, you caught a small, almost imperceptible wheezing noise. Your (e/c) eyes opened in a slow motion to find a tall shadow cast over your face. Before long, your nose caught the well-known aroma of cigarette smoke drifting in the air. You quickly looked up at the source of the shadow, recognizing the impassive face of your lover. Only the expression Mikoto carried right now seemed anything  _but_  impassive, eyebrows turned down in an impressive scowl that scared even you. He held a person with a familiar green helmet up by their neck, fist tightening around their throat.

    "Mikoto!" you shouted, trying to get his attention.

    He paid you no mind, proceeding to keep tightening his grip around the attacker's throat. They struggled, grasping at Mikoto's arm in a feeble attempt to get him to let go.

    "Mikoto!" you tried again, this time grabbing onto his ankle as best as you could. Maybe physical contact would shake your boyfriend from his blinding rage. You hoped, anyway, because you two needed to hightail it before the Blue King came back.

    Thank goodness, he finally snapped out of his daze, tossing the perpetrator down in front of Fushimi. You hadn't seen anything other than disgust or boredom on the Blue Clansman's face before. Now all you saw could only be described as fear. Hidden, but still there.

    Mikoto turned away from Fushimi, reaching down to take you into his arms. You almost flinched when he touched you, still in shock from what just occurred. He lifted you into the safety of his arms, giving a look of warning to the former Red Clansman before walking towards the gate.

    All of your family stood waiting at the gates, various levels of worry and anger written on their faces. Mikoto melted the locks on the gate while Kusanagi opened them up for his King to step through.

    Feeling safe but exhausted from what had transpired, you fell asleep in the arms of your lover, his comforting scent lulling you. From what just happened, things looked like they'd be getting hectic from here on out. You'd need all the sleep you could get.

**Author's Note:**

> Pictures are credited to GoRA who created K Project and the artists/editors who made them. Characters and their stories are credited to the creators as well, I do not claim ownership.


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